Frozen Savior
by That Crazy Guy
Summary: The Boy had been deemed a child prodigy. But unjust forces victimized him in the cruelest way imaginable. What does the young genuis do from there on out? And what effect will it have on his present and the future of both our world and the Soul Society?
1. What Now?

Author's Notes: This story starts shortly after the incident in the central 46 featured in the Diamond Dust Rebellion. The reason for this is because while that little look into Toushirou's past was interesting and tragic, I can't help but wonder what made him decide to stay with the thirteen squads even though it meant serving the very people who had forced him to kill his best friend. In this story characters are addressed on a first name basis for two reasons, first because I'm an American and it's just more natural for me and secondly I don't understand how the whole title system works either (so far the only one I've figured out for certain is that sama refers to someone of high social status like a nobleman). Some terms will come from the Japanese subbed and others will come from the English dub, I don't think this will cause any trouble but feel free to ask if it does. As you've probably guessed I don't speak Japanese so if I make a mistake on any translations please let me know so I can fix it.

I own nothing except for any OC's

Please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review

"normal speech"

"SHOUTING"

"_Inner thoughts"_

"**Emphasized**"

**Ch. 1 What Now?**

It was the beginning of a brand new day for two dozen or so people gathered outside their new squad, for today they were officially shinigami of the thirteen squads. The crowd was filled with excited murmur of fresh graduates mostly talking about how they were going to make captain in a number of days or how they were going to set a new record for killing hollows. However there was one member of the group who wasn't in the mood for celebration, he was a new shinigami with the appearance of ten year old boy who had made a name for himself during his days in the academy as a child prodigy. The mere uttering of his name was prone to filling his former class mates with fear and jealousy for his remarkable abilities as he broke every record in the academy's history; he was none other than Toushirou Hitsugaya.

"_What in the hell am I doing here?!"_ he swore to himself _"those bastards made me kill Kusaka, and then they covered it up; how could they?!"_

Suddenly all the chatter amongst the crowd died as they felt an unfamiliar spiritual pressure.

"Okay sorry about keeping you ladies and gentlemen ready, I got caught up with a small incident in the barracks" a gentle voice called out.

They all focused their attention on the source of the voice as he walked up to them followed by a couple of subordinates. He was dressed in the traditional shinigami robes, he had a kind smile on his face, dark green eyes, long jet black hair which he wore in a pony tail at the base of his neck which stretched halfway down his neck, age wise he had the appearance of a man in his late twenties or early thirties in human years but since this was Soul Society his exact age was impossible to determine; all in all there was nothing exceptional about his appearance, except for one thing. Just above his left leg around his waist was not one, but two different zanpakutou; one was white as snow with a stubby cross shaped guard and a blue diamond pattern on the grip, the other was the exact opposite it was an extremely black sword with two points sticking out adjacent of each other on the four corners of its square guard and its grip had blood red diamonds for a pattern just looking at it could make you think that it was capable of pulling you into the pits of hell itself.

"_How the hell can he have two zanpakutou?!"_ Toushirou thought to himself _"I mean I've heard that two of the current captains have two blades as well but they're supposed to be __**twin**__ blades not two unique swords…who the hell is this guy?"_

"I'm afraid that the captain, lieutenant, third seat, and fourth seat are all out on a mission at the moment so I've been left in charge of the squad until they get back; my name is Alexander Dark-Heart and your new fifth seat" the man explained with that same kind voice "anyway welcome to squad nine."

"_There's no way this guy is just a normal fifth seat"_ Toushirou thought to himself _"and there's definitely something else that's __**different**__ about him besides his swords."_

"So are there any questions?" Alexander asked.

"Yeah I have one" Toushirou stated "how the hell did you get your hands on two zanpakutou?"

The fifth seat looked at the young shinigami with curiosity before chuckling and saying "it's a long and complicated story I'm afraid, anyway you must be the child prodigy I've been hearing about; the one who graduated from the academy at the top of his class after six months of lessons, and mastered both shikai and shunpo before that, Toushirou Hitsugaya I believe your name was."

"Yeah that's me" Toushirou stated coldly as he eyed his superior.

"_That's concerning, better keep my eye on this one"_ Alexander thought to himself as he turned back to the crowd "well it's time for us to head out, our destination is a green zone outside a small Peruvian village in the Andes Mountains."

"We're heading out for a mission already?" one of the shinigami asked.

"_Well maybe I won't make it back that should put my problems to an end"_ Toushirou thought to himself.

"Of course, that's what it means to be a shinigami" Alexander stated "and before any of you ask, the answer is yes you'll be dealing with real hollows."

Several of them gulped as Toushirou and the others followed him and two other squad members to the senkaimon.

"Come on you guys, I want this mission done as soon as possible, otherwise our poor sixth and seventh seats might have a nervous breakdown" Alexander called back to them.

As they neared the senkaimon a jet black butterfly flew in front of each individual shinigami.

"They're beautiful" one of the female team members stated in admiration.

"These are Hell Butterflies, I assume" Toushirou stated coldly.

"That's correct" Alexander answered "now listen carefully, for those of you who don't know Hell Butterflies are the primary means of communication among shinigami and they're also our guides when we travel to the world of the living through the senkaimon; when traveling through the gate it is extremely important that you don't get too far away from your hell butterfly, otherwise we won't be seeing you again until you've been reincarnated, is that understood?"

"Yes Sir" they shouted as the gate opened and everyone followed their Hell Butterflies through.

When they came out of the senkaimon the new shinigami took a sigh of relief as they looked around to see the mountains surrounding them and the afternoon sun shining in the sky above them and their three senior comrades seemed rather bored.

"Look alive" Alexander stated as several loud roars echoed and they were suddenly surrounded by dozens of hollows.

The shinigami all immediately drew their zanpakutou and most of them began to shake uncontrollably.

"Sir aren't you going to draw your swords?" one of them asked.

"No, this is your mission and it's your fight" Alexander stated calmly "don't worry these are just small fry."

Suddenly two hollows lunged themselves towards the frightened shinigami, however they both suddenly split horizontally. The man looked to his side to see Toushirou holding his sword with a murderous expression in his eyes.

"Stop pissing your pants and fight" Toushirou hissed _"and if I'm lucky, I won't be going back, there's no way I'll serve the people who made me kill Kusaka, and I'll die before that happens."_

The other shinigami took the initiative and started fighting the hollows one by one in groups of two or three. The clanks of sword slashes and the sounds of explosions from kidou spells. Slowly but surely the hollows' numbers started to fend as the small groups of shinigami cut their way through. But none were performing like Toushirou; hollows kept falling one after another to the prodigy's blade, immediately after one hollow was slain by the boy's blade he would shunpo over to his next target.

"_Damn it" _Toushirou swore to himself _"why can't I hold back, I want to die!"_

"_Don't you get it kid?" _A deep voice asked in his head _"you're a shinigami now, dying isn't your fate."_

Toushirou came face to face with a twenty foot hollow, it had a plain looking green body, but it had two long lances with sharp ends for arms, it eyed him with its hungry yellow eyes before lunging his right arm towards the young shinigami. Suddenly his arm started to split horizontally as he saw the boy slice his way through before splitting his head in half.

"_What are you talking about, Hyourinmaru?" _Hitsugaya thought to himself as he sliced another hollow in half.

"_Exactly what I said" _Hyourinmaru stated bluntly _"you're a shinigami now, so you won't die like this…"_

Suddenly Toushirou's left eye was seeing the great ice dragon while his right eye saw the battle in front of him.

"…_after all shinigami rule death!!!"_ Hyourinmaru continued _"your pride and instincts won't allow you to let such lowly creatures to end your life." _

Suddenly Toushirou was surrounded by over a dozen hollows. Toushirou leapt into the air and gripped his sword with both hands before shouting "reign over the frosted frozen heavens!!!" part of the sky started turning black as ice started to appear around him "Hyourinmaru." Suddenly the hollows were all struck by a giant dragon of water and ice and left frozen in place, a few seconds later the ice shattered and they faded away.

"_See what I mean?"_ the dragon stated smugly.

"Shut up" Toushirou hissed _"what the hell am I supposed to do then?!"_

"My, my, such a tasty looking child, I bet your soul tastes great" an evil voice called out.

Toushirou looked up to see a huge octopus shaped hollow in the sky stretching out its eight forty foot long tentacles with razor sharp points from its eight foot long head, its white mask was circular and had three green half stripes stretching out from both the left and right sides with a strange black mark across its left eye. Worst of all its spiritual pressure was several times that of the small fry the shinigami had fought earlier, causing most of the new recruits to fall to their knees.

"_Now you might get your wish kid, but you should be ashamed"_ Hyourinmaru stated _"after all if he eats you you'll be turned into a hollow yourself, and even worse yet you'll be under its control_."

"Now, time to feast!!!" the hollow shouted as he lunged two of his tentacles towards Toushirou.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore as he leapt back before the tentacles were about to strike him, instead of striking the ground the tentacles changed direction to follow their prey. Toushirou wrapped the crescent blade and chain from the base of his sword around one of the tentacles causing it to freeze over, Toushirou pulled on the chain with his left hand to launch himself towards the other tentacle so he could slice off the tip, he succeeded and then pulled hard on the chain again shattering the tip on the other tentacle causing blood to shoot out of both stumps.

"Not bad brat" the hollow chuckled, Toushirou's eyes opened as he looked behind him to see a third tentacle racing towards him.

Toushirou tried to shunpo away but he couldn't _"Damn it not enough spirit energy left!!!"_

Almost instantly the tentacle pierced him through his left shoulder, the pain was immense and it only seemed to intensify when the hollow removed it, and of course he was bleeding heavily from the injury; it was all just too much for the young shinigami and he fell to the ground. Toushirou's eyes began to cloud up as he saw the hollow's face racing towards him, mouth wide open.

"_Is this the end for me?" _Toushirou asked himself _"am I really going to become a hollow, this isn't what I wanted, I hope I don't end up hurting anyone else at least…especially Momo…"_

"Don't die" a male voice called out, Toushirou's left eye opened widely "Hadou 31 Shakkahou" suddenly the hollow was forced back when a fire ball exploded on his face.

"SON OF A…" the hollow shouted as he started jerking in pain "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

"Squad 9, fifth seat, Alexander Dark-Heart" Alexander stated simply as he turned to Toushirou "kid, we need to talk; you can't move forward if you remain so conflicted that you can't decide if you want to live or die."

"What the hell?" Toushirou stated as he saw the fifth seat standing before him, but he wasn't the same as earlier. The man's eyes had changed from a dark green to a blood red color with slit shaped irises, his teeth were now fangs, and he now had black marks on his face; on his face the mark seemed travel down his nose line and part just below the eyes before stopping in around the lip lines, and there were also similar marks traveling down both eyes and stopping around the nose line.

"Now stay alive or I'm going to be **very pissed** at you" Alexander stated as he held up his right hand which also had some black marks which seemed to stretch up his arm and his nails had apparently grown out into claws.

"What are you?" Toushirou asked in amazement.

"Now be good, squad four has already arrived" Alexander stated as his hand started glowing black, suddenly Toushirou saw some black tentacle like shapes surround him before he was completely surrounded in darkness, a moment later he found himself in front of his former class mates, the two other shinigami Alexander had brought with him, and several shinigami with medical bags on their backs.

Immediately one of them held him down and looked at his injury "this one has a serious shoulder wound and he's losing blood fast, we need to stabilize him NOW!" two of his colleagues formed on him and he was suddenly surrounded in a gentle green light.

Toushirou felt a strange warmth as his injury started to close. "Take it easy Toushirou, you don't want your wound to open up again" one of Alexander's subordinates commanded "don't worry about the hollow; fifth seat Dark-Heart will kill it."

"The fifth seat, what is he?" Toushirou asked.

"Have you ever heard of an ancient clan of humans with special powers called the Warlocks?" the shinigami asked.

"The Warlocks!?" Toushirou asked "weren't they that clan that tried to exterminate the shinigami about seven hundred years ago?!"

"That's correct; when our fifth seat was alive he was one of the last survivors of that clan, when he joined the squads there were more than a few officers, nobles, and members of the central forty six who weren't too happy with having him join their ranks" The shinigami explained "so much so that he doesn't hold the rank he deserves."

"The rank he deserves?" Toushirou asked before he was suddenly hit by an incredibly strong and extremely dark spiritual pressure. Toushirou looked towards the hollow and the shinigami to see that they were about to begin fighting.

"That's right" the shinigami replied "while he holds the rank of fifth seat, he's actually stronger than most lieutenants, in fact if it wasn't for all the trouble it would have caused the squad, captain Tousen would've named him as his lieutenant a long time ago."

"A warlock huh, it's been a long time since I've seen one of your kind" the hollow chuckled as his tentacles and the burns on his mask started healing.

"_High speed regeneration huh, oh well I've handled far worse"_ Alexander thought calmly "that's right."

"I thought you guys were exterminated, to be honest I didn't know who to root for while the shinigami slaughtered your kind like animals" the hollow chuckled.

"What can I say?" Alexander asked "War is Hell."

"So what you did to that kid was your ability to distort dimensions I assume?" the hollow asked.

"You have dealt with my kind before" Alexander stated as drew his blades holding the black sword in his right hand and holding the white blade upside down in his left "but when was the last time you faced a warlock who's also a shinigami, trust me it's a whole new ball game you ugly bastard."

"I'm sure you'll be extremely tasty" the hollow chuckled madly as four of his tentacles lunged towards the fifth seat.

Alexander grinned madly showing his fangs as he swung the black blade in a horizontal motion slicing the tentacles down the center.

"You're mine now" the hollow laughed as his other four tentacles came out from the ground behind the shinigami.

"That's what you think dumbass" Alexander chuckled as he intercepted them with a semi circular swipe with the white blade severing the tips.

The hollow screamed from the pain of having all eight of his tentacles damaged and looked at his opponent with rage. "YOU BASTARD" he shouted as his body started to regenerate "I'LL SHOW YOU!!!" Suddenly several dozen spots on each of the hollows tentacles started glowing a dark purple before they shot off and flew towards Alexander.

"Just as I thought, leech bombs" Alexander whispered before smiling again before his hands starting glowing black and he slammed them both in the ground. Suddenly dozens of explosions surrounded him.

"That'll teach you" the hollow said smugly.

"Hadou 33 Soukatsui" Alexander's voice called out from the smoke; suddenly a bolt of lighting shot out and struck the hollow in the face knocking him back and causing him to fall towards the ground. Almost instantly Alexander appeared about ten feet above the hollows face while his hands were both of his hands were surrounded in a black glow while he held both his swords _"Warlock Art; Dark Crucifixion"_ he screamed in his mind. Suddenly eight black spear like shapes spawned from his hands, each one pierced a tentacle towards the base and slammed the hollow to the ground and pinned him to the ground.

"DAMN IT" the hollow swore as he tried to lunge back at Alexander but couldn't budge.

"Trouble moving?" Alexander asked with a grin before he chuckled lightly.

The shinigami gathered around Alexander's subordinates were watching their fifth seat with a combination of amazement and terror, Toushirou had succumbed to his wounds and lost consciousness.

"What's wrong with him?" one of the female shinigami asked "he's not acting like he was before."

"That's a side effect of his **unique** skills" one of the shinigami stated "whenever a warlock uses enough of their spirit energy those black marks cover their bodies, and these marks have two effects; first of all it allows them to use their special abilities and second it triggers a part of the brain that fuels dark and sadistic thought processes; hence this darker side of his personality."

"So in other words his powers basically render him bipolar?" another shinigami asked.

"That's a good way to put it" the other shinigami answered.

"And the eyes?" another one asked.

"Well…"

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU AVOID ALL THAT WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A SCRATCH!?" the hollow shouted.

"See these eyes?" Alexander asked sadistically "they allow me to see all kinds of things; such as an opponent's flow of spirit energy, where they focus said energy, simple thought processes, and much more."

"Thought Processes?" the hollow asked.

"Let me explain" Alexander stated evilly "for example before you tried attacking me from both sides I could tell you were thinking something along the lines of 'I'll fake this guy out with a diversion and then pierce him from behind like I did that kid', so I knew you were going to attack me from behind and I readied my swords accordingly."

"What about the leech bombs!?" the hollow asked "how did you get away from those without a scratch!?"

"What part about 'where they focus said energy' did you not understand?" Alexander asked "before you used the leech bombs you had to focus your spirit energy into them to launch them, when I saw that it was only a matter of readying a Warlock Art that attacks in all conceivable directions, it wasn't very strong but it was more than enough to deal with some pesky leeches, after that all I had to do is use a simple kidou spell and then a Warlock art to put you were you are now."

"Damn you" the hollow hissed _"he was playing me the whole time!!!"_

"It was fun, while it lasted" Alexander stated simply "but you're really not that tough, you certainly can't compete with the Menos." Alexander then sliced both blades through the hollow's face, moments later the hollow disappeared.

Alexander breathed deeply before he sheathed his Zanpakutou and the marks on his body faded away, moments later his eyes turned back to their normal green color and the irises regained their normal circular shape as he shunpoed over to his subordinates and the shinigami from squad four.

"Is he going to be okay?" Alexander asked in concern.

"We've managed to stabilize him, so he should be fine" one of the medics replied "but we need to take him back to squad four and keep him under observation for a while."

"I see, and everyone else" Alexander asked as he eyed the rest of his subordinates.

"They only have minor injuries and will just need a minute or two with a healer" the medic answered.

"Okay then" Alexander stated "good work everyone, I'm sorry about that hollow; there really shouldn't have been anything like him around here, but that's why they send seated officers to observe these first missions" the shinigami all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief "so let's head home."

The medical team's leader opened a gate to the soul society as his subordinates carried Toushirou through on a stretcher.

"_The real question is what do we do about you Toushirou?" _Alexander thought to himself as they entered the gate _"unless my eyes weren't working when you got here you were hoping to die, then you seemed to find yourself in shouting match with your Zanpakutou, and then you blow all you spirit energy on a bunch of small fry; if you hadn't wasted so much you could've crushed that hollow on your own…I think Captain Tousen should talk to you." _

Author's notes:

Okay that's the first chapter of Frozen Savior. I know Toushirou seemed out of character but like I said this takes place shortly after the incident at Central 46 shown in the Diamond Dust Rebellion so I think it's fair to think that he was having some suicidal thoughts and having some inner turmoil (after all they forced him to murder his best friend because of an ancient and stupid law), but all that will eventually pass. Anyway please leave a review and I'll get to work on the next chapter.

**Character Profile: Alexander Dark-Heart**

Eyes: Green (Normally)

Hair: Jet Black

Squad (current): 9th

Rank (current): 5th seat

Zanpakutou: Shikai-unknown, Bankai-unknown

Personal Information: Thus far almost all aspects of Alexander's past remain unknown (right now I want to focus on Toushirou, his story comes later and I think you'll like it). What we do know is that he was part of an ancient clan of humans known as the Warlocks who had the power to distort dimensions, use dark spirit energy to kill their enemies, and a number of other uniqueabilities. This clan was believed to have been exterminated in a war with the shinigami seven hundred years ago. Though he only holds the fifth seat position, he's supposedly stronger than most lieutenants but do to his heritage many nobles and members of the central 46 pressure the captains not to promote him to the position he deserves (and since Tousen wishes to seek justice he doesn't want to have to deal with the political fallout from moving him up the chain, even though he'd like to name him as his lieutenant). While his past remains a mystery as does his motives for joining the squads when they were the ones who nearly wiped out his people, and very few people know how he came into position of two unique Zanpakutou, he gives off the impression of a very kind and fatherly individual (basically what Aizen pretended to be, except when he uses his powers).


	2. New Resolve

Author's notes: Sorry if I kept any of you waiting, here's chapter two hope you enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, still hoping to get more on this chapter.

I only own my OCs

Some grammar mistakes were made on purpose since two characters were drunk and the third one was Gin and if you've read the manga or seen the Japanese subbed version of the anime you'll understand.

Please Read and Review and enjoy

**Chapter 2. New Resolve**

As Toushirou slowly cracked his eyes open he immediately heard the sounds of people shouting and several screams of terror. His eyes shot open and he tried to lunge forward but he was immediately stopped by a gentle hand to his chest which he grabbed tightly with his right hand instinctively.

"What the?!" Toushirou asked as his eyes came back into focus and he realized that he was lying in a bed wearing what appeared to be a hospital gown, he then looked at the hand that had stopped him and saw that it was attached to a tall female shinigami with incredibly strange platinum blonde hair and was wearing a badge around her left arm with the kanji for four stamped above a bellflower "where am I?" he asked as he tried to breathe calmly.

"You're in squad four's main hospital" the young woman told him "I'm Isane Koutestu the lieutenant of squad four, could you please let go of my arm?"

Toushirou looked to his hand and immediately let go "I'm sorry, what happened to me?" Suddenly he felt a strong pain from his shoulder.

"You were seriously injured while fighting a hollow in Peru" Isane stated calmly "your fifth seat called one of our teams out and had you rushed here."

Suddenly a loud crack came from outside the room and a loud voice half shouted something incoherent.

"If this is a hospital why does it sound like a warzone out there?" Toushirou asked as he waved his hand in front of his eyes and made sure everything was working.

"It's those guys from squad eleven" Isane sighed "apparently a couple of them snuck in some sake after they were injured in Rukongai, anyway you have a couple of visitors I'll let them in before I go deal with them" she stated nervously while thinking _"why me?"_

Isane opened the door and looked to her right to see only one of the boy's two visitors sitting in a chair close by. She was a new recruit who had just joined squad five and had light black hair which she wore in a bun towards the top of her head with brown eyes.

"Is he awake?" she asked concern evident in her voice.

"He's fine Miss Hinamori" Isane reassured her "he just woke up so please take it easy on him, by the way did his other visitor leave?"

"No" Momo stated "he went over towards those men from squad eleven, he said that he was going to 'help get them under control' and just before he got up these strange black marks appeared on his body and his teeth and nails grew out; he looked more like a demon than a person."

"Black marks?" Isane asked before it hit her "oh no, I forgot the fifth seat of squad nine!" she squealed nervously as she tried to make her way through the crowds gathered around the obnoxious members of squad eleven leaving a confused Momo Hinamori.

When she finally worked her way through she saw that there were two of them, they each appeared to be completely intoxicated judging by their posture and the way they were swinging their arms around.

"Com on na, wha's this cwap bout no sake in thee infimawy?" one of them asked confirming beyond a reasonable doubt that he was drunk.

"Yea I men wha's the bug deal" the other added.

Isane then saw the fifth seat of squad nine sneaking up on them rubbing his hands together with a sinister smile. Before she could make a move, he stopped and raised and eye brow in interest. Isane turned her gaze instantly to see what caught his attention.

"Excuse me gentlemen" a soft voice called out causing the pair of drunken idiots to turn in terror as they saw a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties with long black hair braided in a ponytail in front of her, wearing a white long sleeved haori with the kanji for four on the back.

"Ca…Ca…Captain Unohana, we ah didn't see you there" they said in terror.

"You both must be feeling very well if your up and causing such a ruckus" Retsu stated sweetly "but you should remember that while you are in this hospital you're in my care and that I am completely in charge of **everything** that goes on here, therefore while your under this roof you will keep the volume down and abide by our rules which include no alcohol within the facility; after all you never know when a dangerous individual might be here to visit someone" she gestured towards Alexander who was only a few feet behind them apparently taking notes on what Retsu was doing before he smiled darkly at them and waved "and if they were to do anything **life threatening **to you, the members of my squad four would be left holding your lives **completely in their hands**" she then blinked before taking up a rather dark yet somehow calm expression at the same time "**never forget that**."

Both the drunks jumped back in terror before saying "yes ma'am, it won't happen again before breaking off in a mad dash down the nearby hallway and everyone else burst out laughing.

Unohana then turned to Alexander who was still covered in the black marks when he asked "captain Unohana you are a true genius, is there anyway at all you could teach me that?"

"It's something one must learn on their own I'm afraid" Retsu stated calmly with a small grin "By the way may I ask what you were about to do to them fifth seat Dark-Heart?"

"I was just going to splice a limb or two across dimensions, but I'll admit what you did was funnier" Alexander stated.

"What do you mean?" Retsu asked curiously.

"Oh I'll show you" Alexander stated as he turned his gaze to squad eleven members running down the hall and holding out his left arm, suddenly what appeared to be black threads shot out from his hand grabbed one of the fleeing shinigami by the torso before yanking him towards the fifth seat.

"What the hell?!" the man shouted as he turned to see himself facing what appeared to be a demon in shinigami robes. The man immediately punched out with his left fist, Alexander intercepted the punch with his right hand which was giving off a black glow. What happened next put everyone except Alexander and Retsu into a state of shock, instead of just stopping when it made contact with Alexander's palm the fist seemed to disappear into it.

"Got you" Alexander stated before he swiped his hand to the side.

Everyone looked at the member of squad eleven to see that his left arm from halfway between the elbow and wrist had vanished and at the end of what was left of his arm there was no blood shooting out, in fact you couldn't see any muscles or bones, instead what you saw was just deep black. The man tried to pull his arm back in terror but he couldn't move it from its location he then tried to move his left fingers, what surprised him was that he felt a hand grip his left shoulder, he turned his head to see what appeared to be the missing portion of his arm hanging in mid air. The man fainted in disbelief.

"That's what I mean by splicing a limb across dimensions" Alexander stated calmly as he walked over to the unconscious shinigami and placed his right palm up to the end of the man's missing arm, suddenly his palm glowed and Alexander pulled the rest of his arm out before dropping it next to its comatose owner.

"That's quite a technique" Retsu stated showing no signs of terror or shock.

"It's a riot at parties" Alexander assured her before turning his attention to the entire room "by the way if any of you tell that freak Kurotsuchi about that I swear I'll hunt you down."

Almost immediately the room broke into laughter as Alexander's marks began to disappear and his teeth and nails returned to normal. Isane finally got a hold of herself and went up to him.

"Fifth seat Dark-Heart, your subordinate Toushirou Hitsugaya has just regained consciousness" Isane informed him as a couple of medics placed the unconscious shinigami in a chair.

"That's wonderful" Alexander stated happily "Sorry if I was any trouble Captain Unohana, Lieutenant Koutestu" he saluted before walking off.

"By the way how is your daughter doing?" Retsu asked.

"She was named the sixth seat of Captain Ukitake's squad thirteen a couple days ago and she's thrilled" Alexander answered "by the way, no hard feelings about her transferring to another squad right?"

"None at all, she was a great asset and I hope she does well" Retsu answered "please give her my congratulations."

"Yes ma'am" Alexander stated before he walked off.

"An interesting man, I must admit" Retsu stated as she turned to head for her office.

"He's certainly **different**, there's no doubt about it" Isane admitted as she followed her captain.

Alexander made his way to Toushirou's door when he noticed his fellow visitor was still in her seat looking at him nervously.

"Did you already see him?" Alexander asked kindly.

"No, I don't want to hold up an officer" Momo stated quickly.

Alexander chuckled before saying "trust me, it's no problem, I'm sure he'd rather talk to you first anyway."

"Thank you" Momo bowed politely before opening the door.

"Momo what the hell are you doing here?" Toushirou asked.

"I'm here to visit you little shirou, what else would I be here for?" Momo asked causing Alexander to hold back a small laugh as Toushirou's face instantly took up an annoyed expression.

"I thought you weren't going to call me little shirou after I entered the academy!!!" Toushirou stated loudly as a vein popped on his forehead. Suddenly he felt another surge of pain from his shoulder "damn it" he swore as he fell back on the bed.

"Stop making me worry about you and I'll consider it" Momo replied "and you shouldn't move around too much, your injured after all."

"Shut up" Toushirou sighed "I'm not in the mood for this."

"Little Shirou" Momo sighed "what happened to you?"

"It's my fault" Alexander cut in causing the young woman to look at him "a hallow beyond the scope of the mission showed up I wasn't able to get to him in time, I'm sorry."

"Oh" Momo said weakly not knowing what to think of the man before turning to her childhood friend "but still please promise me you'll be careful Toushirou."

Toushirou had to hide a smile after hearing her call him by name before saying "okay Momo, I promise I'll be careful."

"You better keep your word" Momo stated.

Their conversation continued for over half an hour. They talked about their experiences during their academy years. Momo talked about how happy she was to be in Aizen's squad five, Toushirou was often annoyed by it all. Toushirou told her how a strange woman had convinced him to become a shinigami (he left out certain details about how he first met said woman).

"Well I better get going, I want to make sure I don't over sleep and miss out on helping captain Aizen" Momo yawned as she stood and stretched her arms out "anyway you take care of yourself Toushirou."

"Fine, see you later you bed wetter" Toushirou teased.

"You need to grow up Toushirou" Momo stated as she headed towards the door and said "I'm sorry for keeping fifth seat Dark-Heart."

"Didn't I say not to mention it?" Alexander asked "anyway you take care, Miss Hinamori" she then left the door to head back to the squad five barracks.

"What's so great about this captain Aizen anyway?" Toushirou asked "I mean ever since she caught a glance of the man five years ago it's been captain Aizen this and captain Aizen that."

"Well, captain Aizen has a reputation for being one of the kindest and most good natured captains in the thirteen court guard squads" Alexander explained "personally I get the feeling that there's something wrong about him every time I'm around him, but I might just be paranoid."

"Anyway, I get the feeling your not just here to make sure I'm still breathing" Toushirou stated as he made eye contact with his superior.

"You're a sharp young man" Alexander replied as the black marks appeared on his body and his eyes turned blood red and their irises changed to a slit state "tell me Toushirou have you heard what these eyes can do?"

"I head they can see a lot of things including seeing an opponent's flow of spirit energy, where they focus said spirit energy, and simple thought processes" Toushirou answered.

"Among other things" Alexander nodded "before I start asking questions tell me what might be useful about seeing simple thought processes besides predicting an opponent's move?"

Toushirou was silent for several seconds before answering "I'm guessing that you're pretty good at telling when someone's lying."

"That's correct" Alexander replied "now please telling me why you were trying to die yesterday?"

"Because I wanted to die" Toushirou answered bluntly.

"You don't say?" Alexander stated "now tell me why you wanted to die."

"I don't feel like telling you" Toushirou answered "and I'm not legally obligated to tell you anything, it's a personal matter."

"True" Alexander stated as he rubbed his chin before saying "but saying that to me when these marks have appeared is dangerous, kind of like asking the Central Forty Six if they understand a little something called shame."

"_Damn the Central Forty Six!!!_ Toushirou swore in his mind.

"So the Central Forty Six is behind it, eh?" Alexander asked.

"Damn you" Toushirou stated.

"What did they do to you?" Alexander asked.

Toushirou sighed before saying "they made me do something…something I can't forgive them, or myself for."

"So you want to die because they forced you to do something bad?" Alexander asked, he took Toushirou's silence as a yes before saying "but you felt conflicted once the hollows attacked you."

"Yeah and then Hyourinmaru started messing with my head" Toushirou answered "he told me that my instincts and pride wouldn't just let me commit suicide."

"So what are you going to do now?" Alexander asked.

"Hell if I know, I don't want to just serve the people who made me do **it**, but I can't bring myself to just let hollows devour me" Toushirou answered.

"I see" Alexander replied the marks disappeared and his eyes went back to normal "well my advice is to meet captain Tousen at the training grounds tomorrow, he could help you find an answer; but Toushirou don't even think about throwing your life away, I don't know if that young girl could handle it."

After Alexander left Toushirou laid back on the bed and thought _"What the hell do I have to lose?"_

The next morning Toushirou was released from the hospital, he couldn't believe how well his injury had been treated, when he woke up it had completely healed and hadn't even left a scar. After thanking the medics who operated on him he put on his shinigami robes and picked up Hyourinmaru. When he finally returned to the squad nine training grounds he saw his fellow squad members practicing kidou and swordsmanship, he noticed a small ring of people including Alexander talking to a man with dark skin who was wearing a whit haori with the kanji for nine on the back, a strange white visor over his eyes and a strange orange thing around his neck.

"_So that's captain Tousen, eh?" _Toushirou thought to himself as he made his way towards him and the other officers_ "so the stories are true one of the captains really is blind."_

"Is this the boy you were telling me about fifth seat Dark-Heart?" Kaname asked.

Alexander looked to his side and finally noticed the young prodigy before saying "that's him sir, I must admit your ability to detect spiritual pressures never ceases to amaze me."

"Very well, can I leave the rest of the exercises up to you?" Kaname asked.

"Yes sir" Alexander and two other shinigami responded with a salute, Toushirou couldn't help but notice that none of them was wearing a lieutenant's badge.

"I'm pleased to meet you Toushirou Hitsugaya, my name is Kaname Tousen, I'm the captain of squad nine" Kaname introduced himself as he held out his right hand "it's nice to meet the prodigy that I've heard so much about."

"Thank you sir" Toushirou replied as he shook the captain's hand "may I ask why the lieutenant isn't here?"

"I'm afraid he didn't make it" Kaname said solemnly "anyway I'm told that you've already mastered the shunpo."

"Yes sir" Toushirou answered.

"Then follow me" Kaname instructed as he disappeared in an instant.

"I hope this is worth the trouble" Toushirou sighed as he used shunpo to follow his captain, when he caught up he found himself in what appeared to be a rundown neighborhood "what the hell is this?" Toushirou asked as he looked around "is this really part of the seireitei?"

"It is I'm afraid" Kaname stated "this used to be one of the most densely populated areas in the city, about fifty years ago a Vasto Lorde attacked this portion of the seireitei and by the time we finally managed to destroy it most of the shinigami in the vicinity had been slaughtered; in all honesty the city still hasn't recovered from the sheer lose of life."

"Unbelievable" Toushirou stated in disbelief.

"It was a truly horrible situation" Kaname stated solemnly "since then many shinigami have used the ruins here to train themselves to become stronger."

"Why here, I mean it sounds a little disrespectful to those who died here?" Toushirou asked.

"Actually many have chosen to train here to ensure that they don't forget the lesson of that night" Kaname explained.

"Lesson?" Toushirou asked.

"That we are constantly in the midst of a dangerous struggle with hollows" Kaname answered "people train here so they may come to understand the sheer destructive power that some of the most powerful creatures in all existence wield so they can grow stronger and be better prepared to face such a foe in the hopes that something like this never happens again."

"So by training to be stronger here, shinigami honor the memory of the one's who died here that night?" Toushirou asked.

"That's correct, it's also where many shinigami have claimed to find the cause they've chosen to champion, including myself" Kaname explained as he drew his Zanpakutou "now draw your sword Toushirou."

Toushirou looked at his captain in suspicion as he drew his blade "what are you going to do?"

"Test you, I'm sorry" Kaname answered before he suddenly vanished.

Toushirou's eyes shot open as he saw his captain appear to his left side and saw his sword coming right for him. Toushirou barely managed to deflect the blade to the side with his own, immediately afterwards Kaname disappeared with another shunpo, this time appearing right in front of him midway through a vertical slash. Again Toushirou just barely managed to avoid a killing blow by catching the blade with the guard on his own sword.

"Not good enough I'm afraid" Kaname stated quietly as he pushed on his own sword throwing Toushirou back nearly twenty yards "you won't find peace if your spiritual pressure remains in this constant state of chaos."

"My spiritual pressure is in chaos?" Toushirou asked.

"That's right" Kaname answered "right now your soul is in such a state of confusion that your spiritual pressure has been thrown out of order."

"Meaning?" Toushirou asked.

"That your combat abilities have been suffered significantly ever since whatever happened between you and the Central Forty Six" Kaname answered.

"My combat abilities have decreased, how would you know this is the first time we've met?" Toushirou asked as he stood back up.

"That's where fifth seat Dark-Heart's eyes come in" Kaname answered "he was watching you during your fight with that last hollow in Peru, he assured me that you should have been able to crush that hollow on your own without getting scratched, in other words it shouldn't have been necessary for him to step in."

"Tell me something" Toushirou stated "why do you two care so much?"

Kaname was silent for several seconds before answering "because we believe you could be a valuable ally in our quest."

"Quest, what the hell are you talking about?" Toushirou asked.

"The quest for justice" Kaname answered causing Toushirou to fall silent "but first you have to find your own resolve, otherwise you'll only be a hindrance, so choose Toushirou."

Toushirou was silent for several seconds thinking _"a quest for justice huh, tch how corny"_ Toushirou thought back to his friend Kusaka _"he did say that he was going to fight for soul society's sake not for the central forty six, so why not?"_

Kaname could sense Toushirou's spiritual pressure beginning stabilize _"impressive, he still hasn't perfected his control, but his spiritual pressure is incredibly ferocious; as expected Dark-Heart was correct."_

"_If I can't just drop dead I might as well make my existence useful"_ Toushirou thought to himself as his eyes glowed before saying "reign over the frosted frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!"

A large dragon of water and ice erupted from Toushirou's blade and rushed towards his captain. Kaname didn't show any signs of fear as he leapt into the air and the dragon followed him before he waved his sword in a circular motion and cried "Nishiki Suzumushi" (Crimson Locust), suddenly several blades materialized as he carried out the motion until they formed a perfect circle, Kaname then swung his blade horizontally launching the blades towards the dragon. Toushirou watched in shock and awe as the blades blew threw his dragon like it was nothing before they landed only a couple inches away from his feet and knocked him to the ground, when he regained his vision he saw Kaname standing over him with the point of his blade to his neck.

"Very Impressive" Kaname stated as he sheathed his sword "I had to use more power than I had expected", he then helped Toushirou up from the ground, "so how are you feeling?"

"These are just scratches" Toushirou stated.

"Psychologically I mean" Kaname replied.

"Well, I still can't forgive myself or the Central Forty Six for what happened" Toushirou answered before he gripped his fist and looked up to his captain "so I've decided; while I'm not sure how I'll do it, I'm going to do everything I can to change how the thirteen court guard squads and the soul society as a whole operate, that's the only way I feel that I can absolve myself."

"I see" Kaname answered "then I recommend that you become stronger Toushirou; if you do that you'll know what to do."

"That's fine with me" Toushirou replied "I don't care if I end up in the very oblivion that the White Poppy of our squad symbolizes, I'll do whatever it takes."

"A good answer" Kaname stated "Fifth seat Dark-Heart is leading a team to exterminate hollows in the world of the living tomorrow, I'm adding you to his team."

"Like the mission yesterday?" Toushirou asked.

"No, this mission is going to take place in a major city, there will be a lot more hollows and they'll be stronger as well" Kaname answered.

"I see" Toushirou replied.

"Until then we should inform him of the latest change in plans" Kaname stated as he disappeared in a flash and Toushirou followed him.

When they got back to the grounds they saw the shinigami were wrapping up their training and heading out to get something to eat. They found Alexander having a conversation with a young female shinigami who appeared to be in her mid teens; she was about a foot shorter than Alexander, with light brown skin, black shoulder length hair, and golden eyes. She turned her gaze from Alexander to Toushirou and Kaname.

"Hey dad, I think your captain wants to talk to you" the woman said slightly annoyed.

Alexander turned to see Kaname and Toushirou before saying "thank you Elaina, can I help you captain?"

"I just came to inform you of a small change in plans for your mission tomorrow" Kaname stated calmly.

"You mean the team of fifty five shinigami I'm leading to Washington D.C. tomorrow, right?" Alexander asked.

"It's going to be fifty six; actually" Kaname answered "I'm sure you can guess who the latest addition is."

Alexander looked at Toushirou and said "let's see, I'm guessing Toushirou's going to join us for what will likely be a few days of extreme danger and madness."

"That's right" Kaname replied "I'm counting on you Alexander."

"You can count on me captain" Alexander saluted as Kaname disappeared with a shunpo.

"This is the child prodigy, everyone's been talking about?" Elaina asked "he really is just a little kid" this comment put Toushirou in a slight state of shock as she placed her hand on top of his head and smiled "he is kind of cute though" she jested.

"Kid?!" Toushirou hissed "who the hell do you think you are?"

"_It would seem he doesn't like to be teased"_ Elaina thought to herself "my apologies cutie, my name is Elaina Dark-Heart; I'm the new sixth seat of squad thirteen…" she then moved her head next to Toushirou's before whispering "…and I'm also the adopted daughter of **your** commanding officer, so you better sweeten up."

"She's messing with you Toushirou, she's a real joker" Alexander stated before adding "just so you know that's probably my fault."

"Dad" Elaina whined "you never let me have fun with the new recruits."

"You're an officer now" Alexander stated with a gentle smile "so you'll have plenty of subordinates to mess around with to your heart's content."

"I guess your right" Elaina shrugged "I'll just have to be careful, I don't want to cause trouble for lieutenant Shiba or captain Ukitake."

"I'm sure you'll do fine" Alexander assured her "anyway meet me and the rest of the team at the senkaimon by ten a.m. tomorrow morning and make sure you're ready, these hollows will be a lot tougher than the ones from yesterday and they'll be larger in numbers; there are even some theories that we might see a Menos Grande or two."

"Why is there such fear on this mission?" Toushirou asked.

Alexander sighed lightly before asking "do you keep up with events in the world of the living?"

"No, why?" Toushirou asked.

"Well right now there's a civil rights movement going on in the United States and tomorrow there's going to be a march on their capital led by a very inspiring preacher tomorrow" Alexander explained "basically the city is going to be full to the bursting point with people experiencing intense emotions; in a nutshell it's going to be a buffet as far as the hollows are concerned."

"Sounds messy" Toushirou stated.

"It probably will be" Elaina assured him "and you better come back" she half threatened as she turned to her father.

"Relax" Alexander replied as he placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders "I promised you I'd make it back and give you some pointers on Bankai training didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did" Elaina answered with a smile "just be careful."

"I will, do you have any other questions Toushirou?" Alexander asked before Toushirou shook his head and left for his quarters.

"_Bankai pointers, I might have to ask him about that when I get the chance"_ Toushirou thought to himself.

"Well with that out of the way I believe there's a celebration that we need to get to" Alexander stated happily.

"And all on your dime" Elaina added happily.

"Gee thanks for reminding me of that detail" Alexander sighed as they went out to meet some of Elaina's friends and squad mates.

Kaname Tousen arrived in his office to quickly discover that he had guests, namely the captains of squads three and five.

"So what ya think Kaname?" Gin Ichimaru asked.

"They're all strong and I believe they'll only grow stronger" Kaname stated.

"So you feel they have potential, how much Kaname?" Sousuke Aizen asked.

"I believe if given enough time we can expect all three to achieve Bankai" Kaname answered.

"I see so ya sent two of them to this lil' gathrin in the world of the living to test the boy and the warlock, after all the hollows will be attackin without mercy" Gin stated "ya trying to make a point."

"They can handle it" Kaname responded "anyway what about this new fifth seat of squad six; I believe her name was Youmei Rammyaku (Youmei: order, Rammyaku: chaos)?"

"Yes, I'm afraid she's a little too **unstable** for our plans" Aizen answered "so we'll be looking into this new child prodigy and the Dark-Hearts."

"I see" Kaname answered.

"We'll be in touch Kaname" Aizen assured him as he left.

"Se ya later" Gin stated before following Aizen out the door.

The next morning Toushirou met Alexander and the other fifty five shinigami just outside the senkaimon. Most of them seemed to be shaking uncontrollably and their hands seemed to move towards the grip of their Zanpakutou every couple of minutes. After a few minutes a swarm of Hell Butterflies flew up to the many nervous shinigami.

"Alright everyone please listen up" Alexander commanded with authority "the gate is about to open; when we get to Washington it's likely we'll be swarmed within an hour, these hollows will likely be stronger than what many of you are used to dealing with so stay together, if there are any Menos you're to leave them to me, do you all understand?"

"Yes, Sir" the shinigami shouted.

"Now some good news" Alexander stated "my request for support from squad four was approved and Captain Unohana is sending a dozen medics in after us, but it would still be a good idea for you all to unsheathe your Zanpakutou as soon as you exit the gate."

"Understood sir" the shinigami shouted again.

"Good now let's go, the shinigami stationed there should be happy to see us" Alexander commanded as the senkaimon opened and he ran in.

Toushirou immediately used shunpo to follow Alexander through the gate. He eventually caught up with him in the Dagai while the other shinigami followed closely behind.

"Can I help you?" Alexander asked.

"I was wondering…you were saying yesterday that you were going to give your daughter some pointers on Bankai training and I wanted to know if you'd teach me?" Toushirou asked.

Alexander sighed heavily before saying "I don't know if you're ready for it, Bankai training is difficult not to mention dangerous, it really shouldn't even be attempted by anyone who doesn't have a lieutenant class spiritual pressure."

"_Damn it"_ Toushirou swore to himself.

"Tell you what though" Alexander stated bringing Toushirou back to reality "if we have time to spar and you can force me to use my shikai I'll teach you."

"Tch fine" Toushirou replied see that was far as he was going to get as they saw the exit come into sight.

Author's notes: That's chapter two, just wanted to explain that my understanding of the bleach timeline is that it takes place in modern times and to my knowledge Rukia, Renji, and Toushirou all became shinigami about forty years before the main story begins; in other words I estimated their entry into the squads took take place sometime in the 1960's (in this story I'm beginning in the year of 1963). And as you may have guessed the next mission is taking place during Dr. Martin Luther King's historic march on Washington in 1963, anyway please leave a review and stay tuned for my third chapter.

**Character Profile: Elaina Dark-Heart**

Eyes: Golden

Hair: Black

Squad (current): 13th

Rank (current): 6th seat

Personal information: Elaina was adopted by Alexander Dark-Heart when her biological parents were killed in Rukongai when she was just a newborn; as such she doesn't posses the abilities of the Warlock clan like Alexander. Before she was made the sixth seat of squad thirteen she was a medic under Retsu Unohana, which explains why her dad was able to get away with splicing a man's arm across dimensions in her hospital. Unfortunately many nobles and members of the Central Forty Six consider her to be "tainted" since she was raised by a Warlock. On a personality front she's somewhere in between Toushirou's seriousness and Rangiku's playfulness; simply put she completes her duties and then she screws around with her friends and her father. All in all she comes off as a pleasant woman who understands the importance of her duties but knows how to have some fun when there's time.


	3. The Child

Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter hope you stick with me.

To Elaina who reviewed my last chapter: I'm glad your happy with the name of my OC Elaina Dark-Heart, I hope you enjoy her character, I think you'll find her interesting (after all she was raised by Alexander in the Zaraki district of Rukongai).

I don't own bleach but I own this story's plot and my OC

Please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review.

**Ch. 3 The Child's Choice**

As Alexander and Toushirou leapt through the exit they were immediately greeted by clear skies high above the city.

"Looks like it's going to be a scorcher" Alexander stated as they flew towards a group of shinigami standing guard who looked incredibly nervous.

"Wonderful" Toushirou pouted "I hate hot weather."

"Thank goodness we were beginning to wonder if you guys were going to show up" The shinigami stated as the rest of their team came through the gate.

"Status report" Alexander commanded.

"Sir so far the hollow activity has been mild but we're expecting it to more than triple once the march begins" their leader stated "thus far they've only been normal hollows primarily in the C class with a couple of B class in the mix."

"Any A class hollows or Menos Grande?" Alexander asked.

"No sir" the man answered.

"I see so it looks like we got here during the calm before the storm" Alexander sighed in relief as he turned to his subordinates "okay listen up; each of your teams has been given an area to patrol and protect, our friends in squad four are breaking up into medical teams and are standing by in various locations throughout the city so make sure you know where the nearest unit is in case of injury, I want structural damage to be kept to a minimum, and as you all should know human casualties will not be tolerated."

"Um, sir what about us?" the normal patrol's leader asked.

"I want you and the rest of your team to accompany me and Toushirou to the skies over the Lincoln Memorial, from what I hear that's were the preacher will be giving his sermon; so that's probably where we'll find the nastiest hollows" Alexander answered before shouting "UNDERSTOOD?" to the many shinigami gathered there.

"SIR" they shouted as they all flew off to their posts.

"Fifth seat Dark-Heart, what was all that talk about hollow classes about?" Toushirou asked as he followed his superior to the Lincoln Memorial ahead of the normal patrol squad.

"You know how we classify the Menos into three distinct groups right?" Alexander asked and Toushirou nodded "well for everyone below the Menos we divide them into several broad letter classes depending on their strength."

"I see, so what class were the hollows we faced in Peru?" Toushirou asked.

"The bulk of them were E and D class, and I'd say that the one shaped like an octopus was likely in the high D or low C class" Alexander answered causing Toushirou to tense up for a moment.

"This is going to be a lot more dangerous than the last mission then" Toushirou stated with a slight element of fear in his voice.

"Don't worry Toushirou" Alexander assured him "you should be **a lot** stronger than you were in Peru now that your spiritual pressure has stabilized, besides you would have had that hollow even in your weakened state if it didn't have that regenerative power."

"I hope you're right" Toushirou stated.

"Just be brave and remain resolute" Alexander commanded before the unmistakable sound of countless hollows roaring filled the air. Suddenly Alexander's marks covered his body and his eyes changed to their demonic state as he drew his blades again holding the black blade normally in his right hand and the white blade upside down in his left, Toushirou and the other shinigami unsheathed their Zanpakutou as well before he pointed two of his left fingers towards a hollow and muttered "Hadou Four: Byakuria" sending a bolt of white lightning piercing through the beast easily. "Everyone, it's time for the party to start, stay alert and don't you dare die!" Alexander stated with a demonic grin scaring most of the shinigami but not Toushirou.

"Understood" Toushirou replied as he flew towards his first target and the others spread out _"hopefully I leave this city stronger than when I got here"_ he thought as he locked his blade with a hollow's claws.

Suddenly the hollow's claws froze over and shattered before Toushirou leapt forward and buried his blade in the hollow's forehead. Almost immediately a bird shaped hollow charged towards Toushirou, Toushirou tried to dodge but the hollow's talons scratched him across the cheek.

"Hadou thirty three Soukatsui" Toushirou chanted striking the hallow with a bolt of lightning knocking it off balance before he used shunpo to get in front of it and slice it's mask horizontally while blood started to flow from his wound.

Almost immediately Toushirou saw Alexander standing between two hulking hallows each about twenty feet away from him, one in front and one behind. The warlock/shinigami smiled evilly as he stretched his right arm all the way back and his left all the way forward, moments later the hallows charged him immediately before they were each stabbed through their masks as Alexander forced both his arms in their opposite directions. Almost immediately a third hallow tried bite him from below but his target suddenly disappeared in a mass of black energy as its jaws slammed shut over nothing. Suddenly the hallow felt a pair of feet on his back before he turned his head to see Alexander on his back shoved a dark crystal in his back with two fingers before jumping off, almost immediately shadows stretched from his arms and wrapped themselves around the hollow's body before he was threw it towards a group of four hallows. Alexander smiled so widely that his fangs were showing as he thought _"Warlock Art: Seed of the unholy"_ almost immediately the hollows body exploded in black energy exterminating the other hollows.

"_Damn, he's vicious"_ Toushirou thought before he split another hollow with a vertical strike.

"Studying my fighting style for our sparring match huh?" Alexander asked as he cross-slashed another hallow.

"_The biggest problem is that he can read my freaking thoughts!!!"_ Toushirou swore to himself before he turned back to cut off a hollow's arm before splitting its head.

"Alright I guess I can give you a hint" Alexander stated before slashing a hallow with his black sword and blocking a second hallow with his white sword, "There is a weakness to that feature of my eyes" Alexander informed him as he overpowered the second hollow and slashed his face with the white blade.

"I assume you're not just going to tell me" Toushirou stated as he used a shunpo to get behind a hollow before lodging his sword into its spine.

"Of course not, but I'll give you a clue, think to all the instances where I've used my eyes to read someone's mind, in particular I recommend my conversation with you in squad four a couple days ago" Alexander stated.

"_Interesting"_ Toushirou thought before a hollow cut him across his left arm close to his shoulder.

"I advise you to think about it **after** we're done fighting here" Alexander chuckled as a small amount of blood came from Toushirou's arm before he stabbed the hollow through the torso and then slashed forward killing the creature.

"Damn" Toushirou swore softly as he saw several hollow charge towards him before screaming "Reign over the frosted frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru" the hallows were immediately frozen in a block of ice before shattering "tell me how strong are these things?" Toushirou asked as he ripped his left sleeve off.

"So far it's been high C class and low B class" Alexander answered before slashing two hollows with each blade "you're doing fine just stay sharp; fighting against hollows like these is a good way for you to get some experience under your belt."

Toushirou turned to see five hollows approaching before sending another dragon towards the pack, striking the middle hollow, causing the other four to stop for a moment before Toushirou appeared in front of them and swung his crescent blade around the two hollows to his left freezing them in a block of ice. Suddenly the two hollows to his right tried to bite his head off but were met halfway when Toushirou's blade slashed them across their masks. Toushirou then saw the hollow that had been struck by the ice dragon charging in on him with its jaws opened wide, Toushirou immediately pulled on the chain of his crescent blade with his left hand before thrusting his blade forward striking the hollow directly on the forehead stopping it in its tracks before it faded away.

"And I'm the vicious one?" Alexander asked smugly as teleported underneath a large wolf like hollow and impaled it from below with his black blade _"He's starting to use all three aspects of his shikai very effectively, that's a good sign."_

"YOU TURNED ONE OF THEM INTO A LIVING BOMB!!!" Toushirou shouted in annoyance.

"What can I say?" Alexander shrugged lightly "I was brought up to be a killing machine, I can't help it" he smiled with his eyes closed.

"_Brought up to be a killing machine, what the hell?"_ Toushirou thought before he suddenly felt a powerful spiritual pressure suddenly appear, Toushirou looked behind him to see a large boar shaped hollow charge towards them.

"And that would be an A class" Alexander said darkly as he met its tusks with his white blade "by the way, I think there's one coming your way."

Toushirou saw a gorilla shaped hollow appear and jab its right fist towards him. Toushirou immediately shielded himself with his blade, however the force was so great that he was forced back over a dozen feet, almost immediately the hollow chased after him and jabbed with his left fist which Toushirou just barely dodged with a shunpo. Toushirou followed up by leaping towards the hollow's face and swung his blade horizontally, the hollow held up both his arms and unfortunately his sword barely dug in more than an inch.

"Damn" Toushirou swore softly before the hollow landed a right jab in his torso. Toushirou was flung over twenty feet before he coughed up a large amount of blood, he immediately swung his sword again sending an ice dragon towards the hollow, unfortunately all it did was cause ice sickles to form on the hollow's arms which disappeared almost instantly as it leapt towards the young shinigami _"Great, what now?!" _Toushirou thought.

"_Come on kid, think" _Hyourinmaru spoke in his mind _"I'm sharp enough, you just need some more __**force**__ to get through, if you can't figure it out than you should forget about the Bankai release."_

"_More force huh?"_ Toushirou thought to himself before he had a realization _"I got it!"_

Toushirou immediately leapt forward and again aimed a horizontal swing towards the hollow's mask, just like before the hollow blocked with both arms and the blade dug in about an inch.

"You're done" Toushirou stated before he used a shunpo to propel himself forward, almost immediately his blade cut through the hollow's arms and almost immediately afterward its head followed suit. _"How's that Hyourinmaru?"_ Toushirou thought.

"_Not bad" _the dragon stated.

Almost immediately Toushirou felt extreme pain in his ribs before he coughed up more blood _"damn it" _he swore as he blacked out.

"_Hey Alexander the brat's lost consciousness again"_ a crude voice called out in Alexander's mind.

Alexander turned to see his subordinate begin to slowly fall _"Damn it" _he swore.

"_You must hurry Alexander"_ a gentle voice called out in his mind immediately afterward.

"Agreed" Alexander muttered as he turned his attention to the boar like hollow that was still trying to over power his white blade "sorry pal, but playtimes over" Alexander pointed two of his right fingers at the hollow's forehead before muttering "Hadou Four Byakuria" almost immediately the hollow was destroyed by a bolt of white lightning.

"_Don't forget the boy"_ the gentle voice rang.

"_Pipe down little miss angel, he's on it"_ the sadistic voice ordered bluntly.

"_Both of you shut up"_ Alexander thought as he flew towards Toushirou. Almost immediately he saw a hollow rushing forward hoping to score an easy meal, "Bakudou 61 Rukujyoukourou" he chanted trapping the hollow in six bars of light stopping it dead in its tracks, Alexander flew past the hollow and threw his black Zanpakutou at it landing square in the mask before grabbing Toushirou with his right arm and sheathing his white blade with his left. Almost immediately afterward shadows shot out from Alexander's left arm and grabbed the black blade before returning it to its sheathe.

Alexander sighed as most of the shinigami from the Lincoln memorial team gathered around him, they were all covered in scrapes and minor cuts "sir are you alright?" one of them asked.

"I'm fine, looks like it's finally letting up" Alexander stated as he heard a loud roar and saw a black cloaked figure the size of a sky scraper "but it would appear there's a Gillian for the finale" he stated as he handed the young prodigy over to one of the shinigami and said "call in one of the squad four units I'll be right back" he then stretched out his right arm and grabbed his wrist with his left hand.

"Understood, but sir aren't you going to use a Zanpakutou?" he asked.

"No they get pretty pissed off when I use this technique while holding them, especially when I add the spirit chant" Alexander chuckled as he grinned evilly at the dim-witted giant "I'll be back shortly and that kid better be receiving medical attention when I get back."

"Yes sir" he saluted as he pulled out a hell butterfly to call for aid and Alexander flew towards the Gillian.

"Bones of beasts scattered far and wide, stable crimson crystals, steel wheels, wind in action, and the sky at rest; the sound of flying arrows" Alexander chanted as he raced through the skies and flew up to the beast's face while an intense light glowed in his right hand "Hadou 63 Raikouhou" almost immediately the Menos' face was blown to bits before the rest of its body faded away. Alexander looked around to see that the sky was pitch black and that the moon was shining through the distance, he sighed before saying "this Doctor King must be as good as they say if he was able to generate enough energy to draw out that many hollows including a Menos for so long; God's speed to the man."

Toushirou found himself waking up in on a bed on a roof top, he saw several other shinigami gathered around and a two of them were tending to his wounds.

"Good so you're awake" a familiar called out gently as he tried to sit up, Toushirou turned to see a man with bleach blonde hair and green eyes watching him from the edge of the roof "you had us worried for a second."

"I'm sorry who are you?" Toushirou asked.

"It's me Fifth seat Dark-Heart" Alexander stated as he noticed Toushirou's confusion before smiling softly and saying "if it's my hair let me explain; when a warlock uses up most of their spirit energy his or her hair changes from black to its natural color."

"Oh" Toushirou responded as he imagined the man with black hair and saw his superior officer "how long was I out?"

"About two hours, you have some small cuts and shattered ribs" Alexander began "you should be ready to go in the morning."

"How's the situation in the city?" Toushirou asked.

"The hollow activity has dropped dramatically" Alexander answered "if it stays like this the bulk of us should be able to head home at noon tomorrow, so if it all goes well you and I should be able to have that sparring match in the morning."

"Sounds good" Toushirou sighed as he looked towards Alexander.

"Don't worry, you did fine, I'd say you have a fifty percent chance of forcing to use my shikai" Alexander assured him "you're growing strong, very quickly, but don't over do it."

"Understood" Toushirou replied as he went back to sleep.

Toushirou woke up as the sun rose from the horizon, he saw most of his comrades were still fast asleep and a few shinigami were patrolling the skies looking for any leftovers. He sat up and felt his left arm and his torso and felt that his wounds had been healed. Toushirou sighed before he caught sight of Alexander walking away from the group before using a shunpo.

"_Where's he going?"_ Toushirou asked himself.

"_Why don't you follow him and find out?"_ Hyourinmaru asked.

"Why the hell not" Toushirou sighed softly before following Alexander with a shunpo.

Toushirou followed Alexander while hiding his spiritual pressure for about six miles outside the city limits into the woods before they finally came to a large clearing about fifty yards in diameter.

"_So you've decided to return here huh?"_ a dark female voice echoed in Alexander's mind.

Alexander sighed as he dug into the ground near the center of the clearing and exposed a small brick shaped stone with two holes in it before whispering "it's been sixty three years, I can barely believe it" suddenly the marks spread across his body and his nails and teeth changed into fangs and claws.

Alexander placed each of his hands over one of the holes in the stone before sending shadows through them, moments later a portion of the ground shook before it raised from the ground and locked into place revealing an underground entrance. Alexander took a deep breath before walking into the dark depths being closely followed by Toushirou.

Alexander finally stopped walking down the tunnel before focusing some black energy into the palms of both his hands before flinging it in over two dozen directions lighting up the entire area revealing an entire underground city. The buildings were all built with some sort of black stone and constructed in a gothic design, most of them were the size of a small house but towards the back of the cavern was a large palace like structure that dominated the view from the entrance.

"_Alexander is this the city you told your daughter and __**her**__ about?"_ a gentle voice called out in Alexander's mind.

"Yeah" Alexander sighed as he walked through the roads towards the palace.

"_What the hell is this place?!"_ Toushirou asked himself.

"_Why don't you ask your warlock friend and find out?"_ Hyourinmaru asked as Toushirou followed after Alexander.

As Alexander entered the palace he looked around and smiled weakly as he visited several rooms including two bedrooms before entering a large circular throne room which was about fifty feet in diameter with what appeared to be a raven with one wing half-way covering what appeared to be a full moon. Toushirou couldn't help but notice what appeared to be several scorch marks scattered across the room.

"Quite a place isn't it Toushirou?" Alexander asked weakly as he fought back tears.

Toushirou was shocked as he revealed himself before asking "how did you know?"

"I raised a little girl by myself in the Zaraki district of the North Rukongai area, so I know how to be aware of my surroundings" Alexander stated lightly as he looked the boy down with his green eyes.

"How come you're not acting like a sadist when your marks are covering your body?" Toushirou asked surprised to see his behavior.

"When you're in the middle of an intense emotional event even these marks can't take your focus away" Alexander stated weakly "personally I kind of wish they could" a couple of tears formed in Alexander's eyes.

"What is this place?" Toushirou asked.

"This is the city where I was born, where I trained in my clan's abilities, and this room is where I died" Alexander answered "this was all over half a century ago but I still have the memories."

"Half a century ago?" Toushirou asked "I thought the war was over seven hundred years ago…"

"It was" Alexander answered "but they didn't get all of my clan; after the war ended in victory for the shinigami my clan scattered to the winds until a large number of them came to the new world in the early 1700's and this city was the new clan headquarters."

"What happened?" Toushirou asked.

"It's a long story" Alexander answered "and I don't quite feel up to it."

"Then can I ask you something else?" Toushirou asked.

"I can't guarantee that I'll answer, but I do allow questions" Alexander replied.

"What caused the war between your clan and the shinigami?" Toushirou asked.

"Didn't you pay attention in your history classes back in the academy?" Alexander asked "one day members of my clan started attacking and killing shinigami."

"According to the Central Forty Six's records" Toushirou replied "I'm sure you can guess that I don't have complete faith in the Central Forty Six when it comes to being honest."

"Smart kid" Alexander chuckled "well it's not a lie, but at the same time it's only part of the story."

"I'm listening" Toushirou stated.

"To understand what started the war you have to go back a couple of hundred years to when my clan first walked out into the daylight" Alexander began "Warlocks like myself have the ability to distort dimensions, manipulate our **unique** spiritual energy to kill enemies, and we can reverse a large array of hollow abilities."

"Hollow abilities?" Toushirou asked.

"Special poisons, separating souls from their bodies, possession, and other strange abilities we encountered" Alexander explained "as our skills grew and our numbers increased we began to do more, we began to fight back against the hollows, my clan would kill any hollow on sight; eventually my ancestors came face to face with the shinigami" he breathed heavily.

"What happened next?" Toushirou asked completely interested in what he was hearing.

"While their abilities were indeed formidable, my ancestor's powers had one tragic flaw…they lacked the ability to cleanse hollows, so in other words they couldn't send the souls of the hollows they had killed to the soul society" Alexander explained.

"Like the Quincy from a hundred and fifty years ago?" Toushirou asked.

"Exactly, except unlike the Quincy my clan backed down and supported the shinigami with their other abilities" Alexander began "but eventually the warlocks wanted the secret to cleansing souls so they could combat the hollows as well instead of being stuck on the side lines, however the Central Forty Six refused stating that the secret to cleansing hollows was the birth right of the shinigami and that **demons** had no business knowing it; at first my ancestors grinned and bared it but after about one hundred years later after a century of essentially acting as a clean up crew and inter-dimensional coaches, my ancestors eventually turned on the shinigami and demanded the secret."

"And that's when the war started" Toushirou stated "not because your people wanted to kill but because they wanted to protect their fellow human beings without endangering both worlds."

"That's correct" Alexander stated.

"But why did you become a shinigami?" Toushirou asked "If I was in your shoes I'd want to wipe out the shinigami for destroying my people."

"That was seven hundred years ago" Alexander answered softly "and while it's true that all of that suffering could've been avoided if the central forty six hadn't been so stubborn about sharing information, it was still my clan who attacked first; but in reality worrying about who was right and who was wrong is pointless after the fact."

"_Fifth seat Dark-Heart…"_ Toushirou thought not knowing what to think.

"But what is meaningful is doing what we can so that such suffering never befalls humans again whether they're gifted or not and shinigami" Alexander stated "that's why I want to do what I can to help change the thirteen court guard squads for the better, peacefully."

"I see" Toushirou replied as he thought of his own past.

"Tell me Toushirou, how do you plan to change Soul Society so whatever happened to you doesn't happen to another person?" Alexander asked.

Toushirou was silent before answering "I'm going to become the head captain" Alexander raised and eyebrow "I'll use the influence to encourage the shinigami to demand that the Central Forty Six discloses every action they take, that way they won't be able to just do as they please without being brought to justice; when that happens they'll be made to pay both for what they did to me and to your people."

"Do you think that will work?" Alexander asked.

"I've seen what over ninety percent of the shinigami think of the head captain, if he had the nerve to turn on the Central Forty Six and the nobility they'd support him" Toushirou answered "I have to try something, after what I've done it's the only way I can justify taking my next breath."

"I see" Alexander replied "well if that's what you plan to do you're going to need help; you'll need people who can support you from below and help push you to the top, but for now I recommend you achieve Bankai and work your way up to an officer's seat."

Toushirou looked up to his officer and asked "you mean?"

"That's right, it's time for our little match" Alexander stated as his eyes changed to their demonic state "draw your Zanpakutou."

Toushirou did as he was told as Alexander drew his blades and took his stance.

"Okay, here we go" Toushirou whispered as he leapt towards Alexander.

Alexander blocked the blade with his black sword and swung his white sword towards Toushirou. Toushirou managed to leap back just in time to avoid being sliced by the blade, Toushirou looked up just in time to see a shadow racing towards him, Toushirou immediately used a shunpo to avoid the shadow and appear behind Alexander. Alexander swept his white blade to the side before following it up with a slice from his black blade which caught Toushirou in his left shoulder and flung him several feet to the side.

"_Senka…that's a smart move, I'm starting to feel like I'm fighting a younger Byakuya Kuchki"_ Alexander thought as Toushirou stood up while nursing his arm "what's the matter I hit you with the back of my sword, you should be grateful we're using Katana otherwise you'd have lost that arm kid."

"Shut up" Toushirou hissed _"okay now he said there was a weakness to his mind reading ability but what is it?"_

Alexander disappeared and reappeared behind Toushirou before whispering "remember our talk in the hospital" in a squeaky voice.

Toushirou swept his sword behind him to force Alexander back as he thought back to their conversation in the hospital when suddenly he thought _"that's it!"_

"_Does he understand?"_ Alexander thought as Toushirou got back up on his feet shortly before using a shunpo and appearing to his left, Alexander quickly swung his left blade to intercept Toushirou's attack "so you've figured it out?"

"Yeah" Toushirou answered "during our conversation in the hospital you wouldn't break eye contact with me, it's not because you wanted to pressure me but because you need to have eye contact with your opponent to read their thoughts; so all I have to do is focus my eyes from your shoulders down to avoid looking in your eyes."

Alexander smiled before saying "Very good, but I'm afraid that's not enough to make me release my swords" he swung his black blade forcing Toushirou to dodge backwards before thinking _"this kid's brilliant, he was able to quickly figure out the weakness to my mind reading with just a vague hint, now let's see how he deals with my fighting style."_

Toushirou immediately leapt towards Alexander and engaged him in sword play filling the room with the sounds of their clashing blades _"I can't get too far away from him otherwise he'll blast me with Kidou or one of his warlock arts, now the problem is getting through his defenses"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he failed to connect another blow _"the way he stands and the way he holds his swords allow him to quickly guard himself from attacks no matter the angle or where they come from, and he's too fast for me to take out with a follow up attack; he'd either counter attack me or block with his second blade, so I need a quick successive three attack combo or I need to overpower him, otherwise I'll never force him to use his shikai_."

Toushirou held his sword in his right hand before swinging it horizontally from his left side. Alexander held his white Zanpakutou vertically to intercept Toushirou's swipe, Toushirou immediately began to swing around Alexander's block without separating their blades until his blade was intercecepted at the guard by Alexander's black Zanpakutou.

"Impressive" Alexander stated "but I'm afraid you can't cut through my swords."

"Let's see how you like this then" Toushirou replied as he pushed forward with a shunpo.

"_I understand now"_ Alexander thought as Toushirou forced him back and he could feel his grip on his blades beginning to shake _"he used that motion in order to force me to block with both swords, and now he's using shunpo in order to try to break through my defense…too bad for him that two can play this game."_

Suddenly Toushirou felt himself thrown back against the wall as Alexander mimicked his move _"Damn I can't overpower him"_ Toushirou thought.

"_Then you'll have to come up with quick three hit combo"_ Hyourinmaru stated calmly _"I recommend you think of something quickly."_

Toushirou's mind was racing as he tried to think of a combination of moves that would allow him to quickly land three successive attacks on Alexander until he finally thought _"I got it."_

Alexander watched as Toushirou's spiritual pressure began to rise sharply, it was so strong that he could actually see the boy's eyes begin to glow with a soft blue-green light.

"_Be careful…the boy is about to release his Zanpakutou"_ A kind voice echoed in Alexander's mind.

"_Oh shut up already, even Alexander isn't enough of a dumb ass not to know that"_ A crude voice replied.

"_Focus please"_ Alexander thought as he prepared himself.

"Reign over the frosted frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru" Toushirou chanted sending a large dragon of water and ice towards Alexander.

Alexander braced himself as he blocked the dragon with his white blade. Though he was forced back a couple of feet he succeeded in keeping the dragon from doing anything beyond forming some ice-sickles on his knuckles. When the dragon finally disappeared Alexander saw that his subordinate had moved from his position, suddenly he felt a cold chain rap around his right arm as it was frozen in a block of ice sword and all, Alexander looked to his right and saw Toushirou holding the chain before swinging his blade at Alexander one last time sending what appeared to be a portion of an ice dragon towards him before connecting. Suddenly there was explosion of ice and snow in the room as Alexander was thrown against the wall right next to the thrones.

"Most Impressive" Alexander stated as he stood back up and shattered the ice around his right arm, the force of the attack had ripped his hair tie in two so his hair was now waving over his eyes in a creepy fashion _"the first dragon he sent at me was meant to distract me and occupy one of my blades so my defenses would be weakened, after that he used shunpo to appear on my right so he could keep me from defending with my black blade using that chain and crescent blade, and then he used a partial ice dragon to finally land a hit on me." _

"So what do you say now?" Toushirou asked as began to breathe heavily "are you going to start taking me seriously or what?"

Toushirou saw Alexander grin widely as he held both blades right side up and said "congratulations kid."

"Aren't you at least going to flip the blades first?" Toushirou asked.

"There's no need, you'll understand soon enough" Alexander answered before he took a deep breath before chanting "Darkness spread across the universe and consume all evil!" the black blade in his right hand started to glow a deep shade of black "Light dash across creation and obliterate the wicked!" now the white blade was glowing "Kokuhyou (Damnation), Nehan (Salvation)".

Suddenly Alexander's spiritual pressure shot through the roof as an intense black and white life surrounded him.

"_Here it comes kid, get ready"_ Hyourinmaru echoed in Toushirou's head.

Toushirou was shielding himself with his left hand as he thought _"damn, this spiritual pressure's ridiculous."_

Toushirou watched as the light died down revealing Alexander standing with one long sword in each hand. The one in his right hand was jet black with a two pronged shaped guard with a red demonic eye like emblem towards the center and two small spikes poking out from the but of the handle. While the blade in his left hand was almost pure white except for a blue oval in the middle of it's angel wing like guard and it's blue handle.

"So those are your Zanpakutou?" Toushirou asked as he felt the spiritual pressure coming off from them before thinking _"there's now way they're just a sharper pair of blades, I got a bad feeling about this."_

"Correct" Alexander answered "this is the initial release of my two Zanpakutou; Kokuhyou and Nehan, Damnation and Salvation" he held both blades up before asking "do you wish to continue this little match, if you do I can't guarantee it won't end badly for you."

"Why the hell not?" Toushirou asked as he took his stance _"I must be out of my mind."_

Author's notes: *prays that third times the charm for reviews* and that's chapter three I hope you found Alexander's little history lesson to be interesting, stay tuned to see what his shikai can really do. Anyway I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible, until then please leave me a review.

**Historic Information: The Warlock Clan**

The Warlocks were once a large clan of humans with their own unique spiritual powers like the Quincy that once spread across nearly all of medieval Europe. They were easily identified by the black marks that would appear across their bodies whenever they used their spiritual powers, the fangs and claws that grew, and the sadistic shift in personality that occurred because of a node in the brain that was triggered by the marks; a select few members were also able to awaken a special demonic eye trait which granted them several new abilities on top of their normal skills. The Warlocks had several unique skills which included distorting dimensions which allowed them to teleport themselves and others long distances instantly and splice objects, reverse the effects of certain hollows with special abilities (such as possession), and they could manipulate their unique spiritual energy to bind and destroy their enemies (like that crystal Alexander used to turn a hollow into a living bomb). Despite all their abilities and talents the Warlock clan lacked the crucial ability to purify the souls of hollows just like the Quincy clan. When they learned this fact the Warlock clan acted as a support force to the shinigami for nearly a century and a half, however they eventually grew tired of this role and started to demand the secret to cleansing souls so they could fight hollows without putting all of existence at risk but the Central Forty Six denied them the information claiming that **demons** had no business interfering with the sacred duty of the shinigami. Eventually the Warlocks grew so frustrated with the arrogant treatment they received from Soul Society and killed multiple shinigami starting a brutal war which eventually led to the near extinction of their clan; it's currently unknown what happened to the survivors after the war, it's known that some immigrated to America and began to rebuild their numbers until they were killed around the year 1900, it's believed that Alexander Dark-Heart is the last surviving member of this clan.


	4. The Pursuit of Strength

Author's Notes: Sorry this update took so long I had a pain in the ass English assignment to finish this week. Anyway here is chapter four, thanks to all who have reviewed the last three chapters.

I own only my OCs.

Please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review.

**Ch. 4 The Pursuit of Strength**

Toushirou watched in anticipation as Alexander held out his dual Zanpakutou in front of him. His demonic eyes glowed dangerously from behind his black bangs.

"Are you sure you want to continue?" Alexander asked "I must warn you it could be very dangerous."

"Well if I'm going to become the head captain, I can't afford to be afraid of anything" Toushirou stated with firmness in his voice.

Alexander saw that Toushirou's eyes had lost much of their indecision, sadness, and fear from the past few days. Instead they radiated a strong cold resolve and Alexander could see that he was thinking of how to adapt himself to fighting against a pair of long swords instead of katana.

Alexander held Kokuhyou in front of his face before saying "very well, if we're lucky this will end it right here" suddenly the whole sword began to glow before Alexander said "take him, Kokuhyou."

"What the hell?" Toushirou asked as the black sword exploded into over a dozen black spheres and immediately raced towards him.

Toushirou immediately used a shunpo to dodge to the other side of the room but he immediately saw one of the spheres appear right in front of him. Toushirou could only watch as the sphere struck him in the chest, instead of exploding or burning his flesh Toushirou watched as the sphere appeared to be absorbed into his chest without even damaging his kimono. Toushirou was instantly filled with a deep sense of dread as the other orbs were absorbed into his body. Suddenly Toushirou's vision went completely black.

"You're mine now little boy" A dark voice called out.

Toushirou suddenly turned to see a woman with pale skin, messy black hair that stretched down to her ankles, and the same marks, fangs, claws and eyes as Alexander. She was dressed in black robes with silver linings and buckles. She then lunged towards Toushirou with a demonic grin across her face.

Toushirou's eyes shot open in terror as he suddenly realized that he was no longer holding his weapon. As the demon woman neared him he managed to instinctively grab her wrists as she forced him onto what Toushirou assumed to be the floor.

"What are you?!" Toushirou asked as he caught his breath.

"Didn't you hear your fifth seat's command?" the woman asked with amusement "here's a refresher, 'take him'…"

Suddenly Toushirou understood before he muttered "Kokuhyou…"

"I'm flattered" Kokuhyou stated "unfortunately I don't have time to chit chat."

Suddenly Toushirou saw the black marks from Kokuhyou's body making their way down his arms.

"Damn, what is this?" Toushirou asked as he tried to struggle free but to no avail, the woman on top of him was bigger and stronger than he was.

"Now, now, don't resist" Kokuhyou said happily "you'll be all mine soon, I hope Alex will let me play with you for a while…he almost never let's me have any fun."

Toushirou felt as if every ounce of strength was leaving him as the marks spread across his body, eventually they made their way to his face and Toushirou felt like he was about to lose consciousness. Kokuhyou watched with amusement as his eyes began to close, but just before they shut completely they popped back open with a strong glow.

Toushirou looked at the shocked woman before saying "get off."

"What the hell?" Kokuhyou replied as she felt ice starting to form on her arms before she was eventually thrown off by the boy's spiritual pressure. Kokuhyou looked into the boy's glowing blue-green eyes and was almost instantly struck by a number of violent and intense images that flashed through her mind. Kokuhyou's jaw dropped in sheer shock after an image of six people lying dead or mortally wounded and a seventh man who was cut from head to toe "What the hell are you?" she asked weakly as she and the darkness disappeared from Toushirou's sight.

After Toushirou blinked he found himself back in the throne room holding onto Hyourinmaru, he could tell that his heart rate had been raised considerably and that he was covered in a deep sweat.

"So Kokuhyou failed" Alexander stated simply as the black long sword reappeared in his right hand and he looked at it in curiosity for a moment before turning his attention back to Toushirou "somehow I'm not surprised that you were too much for her."

"What was she trying to do?" Toushirou asked as he tried to compose himself.

Alexander sighed before saying "that's one of her three special abilities, the very first ability she has in her shikai state is the ability to possess anyone or anything that has a spiritual pressure that's considerably weaker than mine."

"She was trying to take control of my body?!" Toushirou replied "that's sick."

"What can I say she's a real piece of work, but then again she was born of my own dark soul so it's to be expected" Alexander stated as he took his stance "my advice to you is don't get cut by Kokuhyou, trust me it won't be any fun at all for you."

"Let me guess something to do with her other abilities, right?" Toushirou asked as he took his stance as well.

"Maybe" Alexander answered with a level of amusement "but I'll let you make the next move and to make it easier I won't use shunpo for the rest of the match."

"_Damn he's screwing with me"_ Toushirou swore in his mind _"I could try using a few more ice dragons…no I can't waste my spirit energy I need to learn what I can about his Zanpakutou and their abilities, I'll start with something simple."_

Toushirou held out his left palm before muttering "Hadou 31 Shakkahou" sending a fireball racing towards Alexander.

Alexander grinned as he placed Nehan in front of him and said "protect, Nehan" moments later there was an explosion from Toushirou's fireball. Toushirou watched as the smoke disappeared revealing his squad's fifth seat to be unharmed behind a wall of light as the sword in his left hand glowed brightly.

"Great" Toushirou said clearly annoyed "how many abilities does **that** blade have?"

"Only three, just like Kokuhyou" Alexander answered with a grin "it's one of the few things the two of them have in common."

"_Okay so his black sword has the power to possess others but that won't work on me, his white sword has the ability to create a shield strong enough to stop my kidou, and both swords still have two more special abilities that he hasn't revealed yet"_ Toushirou thought to himself while making sure to avoid eye contact _"and I thought he was tough when they were sealed, when he releases those swords he's a force of nature."_

"_So Toushirou, I imagine now you're thinking that your only remaining option is to come at me with all the force you have and hope it overpowers me"_ Alexander thought as he watched Toushirou's spiritual pressure begin to rise sharply.

"_This really is my only hope of beating him"_ Toushirou thought as he lifted his sword.

"_Remember kid…a Zanpakutou is ultimately an extension of their wielder, the stronger the wielder's heart and soul, the stronger the attack will be"_ Hyourinmaru's voice echoed in Toushirou's head.

"I understand" Toushirou stated "I'll give it all I've got!" he swung his blade sending an ice dragon twice the size of his earlier ones towards Alexander.

"_Not bad at all, but I'm afraid it's not enough"_ Alexander thought as he pointed Nehan towards the dragon and it started glowing as he began chanting "I call upon the divine light of the heavens, join upon my blade and release thy fury…Meimeikanshiki (Divine Judgment)!" suddenly a small intense white blast shot out from the tip of Nehan's blade towards the dragon.

Toushirou watched in amazement as the went right through his dragon and caused it to evaporate, Toushirou barely jumped to the side in time to avoid the blast as it dashed past him and crashed into the wall and exploded destroying all the rock within a five foot radius of the impact point. Toushirou looked back towards Alexander to see him running towards him with Kokuhyou prepared for a horizontal slice. Toushirou immediately razed Hyourinmaru to block his blade vertically, however as soon as Kokuhyou made contact with Hyourinmaru's blade it sliced through as if the boy's Zanpakutou was nothing more than child's toy. Toushirou could only watch in anticipation as the very tip of the black sword placed a shallow cut on his cheek moments before the end of Toushirou's blade fell to the ground.

"And that concludes this little sparring match" Alexander stated as he stood up "I'm sorry Toushirou."

Suddenly Toushirou felt an intense pain spread throughout his body, it felt as if his own body was trying to tear itself apart. Toushirou could hardly bare the pain when it finally disappeared and he fell to the ground unconscious.

"Poor kid, I guess that's a little too much pain for a newbie to handle" Alexander stated as he walked towards his subordinate and looked over his injuries and smiled "you did very well Toushirou, but maybe I should treat your wounds before I congratulate you" he stabbed Nehan into the ground next to Toushirou before saying "Nurture, Nehan" suddenly the sword glowed brightly for a third time before a small pool of white energy spread out to form a circle about five feet in diameter.

Toushirou felt strange as he woke up, he felt as if all his pain and suffering had been eradicated from his being, when he opened his eyes he saw Nehan sticking out from the ground next to him. He bolted up and remembered what had happened, he looked to his right to see Hyourinmaru lying sheathed on the ground.

"How are your injuries?" Alexander asked causing Toushirou to turn to his left to see Alexander standing a few feet away looking at Kokuhyou with a curious expression across his face.

Toushirou felt his cheek to notice that the cut from the sword had already disappeared and that his other wounds had all closed up "what the hell is up with that sword of yours?" Toushirou asked "I could've sworn it was just a shallow cut, but it felt like you stabbed every square inch of my body."

"That's Kokuhyou's second ability, whoever she cut's in her released form is attacked by the darkness of their own soul" Alexander answered before seeing the confused look in Toushirou's eyes "we all carry negative aspects in our souls such as hatred, jealousy, greed, and other less **pure** aspects of our personalities; in other words every dark aspect of your soul is destabilized and turned against you whenever Kokuhyou draws blood, and the deeper the cut and the stronger these **impure **aspects of your soul the worse the effect."

"Wonderful" Toushirou sighed as he stood up "and I'm guessing that the blast from Nehan and this healing power are its other two abilities?"

"That's correct" Alexander answered as the light faded and he picked up Nehan and looked at it "she has a very gentle and nurturing personality, but she has quite a bite when need be, just like the person she was born from."

"_The person she was born from?"_ Toushirou thought to himself _"Interesting…"_

Suddenly the room was filled with the roars of a large number of hollows.

"It would appear our little skirmish has attracted some uninvited guests" Alexander stated as they were surrounded by over a dozen hollow, Toushirou was about to leap at them before Alexander stopped him with a pat from the side of Nehan's blade "you just got treated let me handle this" he commanded as Kokuhyou began to glow "besides after that performance I think you deserve to see Kokuhyou's third ability."

"Understood" Toushirou answered as he relaxed.

"Now watch closely here's my last shikai ability" Alexander stated as he grinned widely and the hollows began to move towards them before he chanted "I call upon the deepest darkest shadows of hell, gather before me and strike my enemies…Kurohari (Dark Needle)" Alexander than thrust Kokuhyou into the ground spreading a shadow out in a circular pattern thirty yards in diameter.

Suddenly all the hollows within the shadow were pierced from several directions by black spikes coming from the ground killing them all almost instantly.

"Amazing" Toushirou stated.

"But a bit taxing I'm afraid" Alexander stated as he resealed his swords and sheathed them, Toushirou noticed that his hair had gone blonde again "despite our differences you and I do have quite a bit in common as far as our Zanpakutou are concerned."

"What would that be?" Toushirou asked.

"Thanks to them we're both able to release large amounts of energy on our enemies and we can quickly overwhelm most of them with the sheer power" Alexander explained "however neither of us can keep it up forever so we can't allow ourselves to get carried away."

"That's an interesting idea" Toushirou stated "so did I earn the Bankai pointers?"

"All you had to do was force me to release my swords, I never said you had to beat me" Alexander answered causing the boy to hide a small smile "anyway let's head back."

"Can I ask you just a couple more questions?" Toushirou asked.

"I may not answer but you may ask" Alexander answered with a gentle smile.

"Judging from the language you used after I woke up, you obtained Kokuhyou just like I obtained Hyourinmaru or anyone else with their Zanpakutou" Toushirou stated.

Alexander nodded before saying "I gained her a little **earlier** than most people, but that is correct."

"And judging by what you said later, Nehan actually belonged to someone else" Toushirou stated.

Alexander smiled again and answered "that's true, I must admit I'm impressed."

"Who did it belong to before you and why are you able to use a Zanpakutou that belongs to someone else?" Toushirou asked eagerly.

Alexander's eyes changed to a very solemn and sad expression before saying "I'm sorry, but it's a very personal and painful story."

Toushirou could tell that he wasn't kidding before he said "I'm sorry."

"Don't be" Alexander sighed "Anyway let's get going, I've had enough depressing memories for one day and I promised my daughter I'd help her with Bankai training as well" a small smile crept back to his face as he started walking towards the exit.

As they neared the daylight Toushirou asked "can you use Bankai yet?"

"No" Alexander answered "my Zanpakutou are handful when we're on the same side, but they're a nightmare when they both gang up on me."

"Yeah, I can imagine that" Toushirou answered as they left and Alexander resealed the entrance _"after those two nearly killed me I imagine they must be hell in their true form."_

"Get stronger Toushirou" Alexander commanded "you're strong, but you'll need to become much stronger if you wish to conquer your own past, surpass head captain Yamamoto, and take his place."

"I already know that" Toushirou stated _"I guess my life won't be lacking in danger anytime soon."_

Alexander allowed Toushirou to take the lead as they headed back to their camp before thinking _"okay, tell me one more time what you saw Kokuhyou."_

"_Like I said, I was about to possess him when suddenly his spiritual pressure suddenly shot through the damned roof…"_ Kokuhyou began.

"_Indeed…before he came to, his spiritual pressure shot up significantly"_ Alexander thought to himself as they came to the clearing _"though it was only for a moment his spiritual pressure was much stronger than my own, I dare say it was a captain class."_

"_Yeah it was, don't interrupt me jack ass!!!" _Kokuhyou hissed _"anyway when his spiritual pressure spiked I saw seven people…four of them were dead, two of them appeared to be at death's door, and the last one had been cut from head to toe; I also felt an even stronger presence than the one that forced me away, but it wasn't like a shinigami's or a warlock's it was much denser, it was far darker, I'd even say it was __**pure evil**__, and without a doubt it was far stronger than anything we've ever felt before."_

"_Even stronger than the Vasto Lorde that attacked the Seireitei fifty years ago?" _Alexander asked.

"_I believe so"_ Kokuhyou answered weakly _"my advice is to use __**the last of your eye abilities**__ to see what you find out him."_

"_I might just do that"_ Alexander thought as they joined up with their comrades _"but still…why the hell would you have a memory like that…not to mention such a monstrous spiritual pressure...unless you were a…"_

"Fifth seat Dark-Heart?" Toushirou asked bringing Alexander back to reality "they said we're done here, we can go home now."

"Oh good" Alexander replied as he pulled a black hair-tie out of his kimono and tying his hair back into a pony-tail which was turning into a rather dark shade of brown "well this mission was fun and all but we really should head back, are you all ready?"

"Sir" the team saluted as the portal to the soul society opened before them, they each received a hell-butterfly, and then running through.

"_Toushirou if I'm right about you…you'll definitely have the potential to achieve your goals, but I can't help but wonder how you'll handle the truth about what you __**were**__" _Alexander thought.

When the shinigami made it through the senkaimon the group was greeted by the captains of squad nine and squad five.

"How'd it go?" Kaname asked.

"Sir, the hollow activity was high; we had one Gillian class and a few A class hollows showed up on the scene, we had half a dozen causalities…I accept responsibility sir" Alexander answered.

"Don't blame yourself" Kaname replied "this mission had a seventy percent survival rate, but you brought about ninety percent of them home, you did very well."

"Thank you sir, may I ask what captain Aizen is doing here?" Alexander asked.

"_This is captain Aizen, the same captain Aizen Momo's been going on and on about for the past five years?!" _Toushirou asked himself as the captain with short messy brown hair and large glasses came up to them _"he doesn't look all that tough."_

"I've heard a number of rumors about one of your new subordinates, in fact one of my squad's latest members has been worried sick, ever since your unit left yesterday" Aizen answered "so I told her I'd make sure you were all fine after all…Kaname put one of his best men in charge of the operation."

"Thank you sir" Alexander replied.

"I'm merely stating a fact fifth seat Dark-Heart" Aizen assured him "so this is the 'child prodigy' I've heard so much about?"

"Yes, this is Toushirou Hitsugaya and he lives up to the hype from the academy instructors" Alexander ushered him over as he made eye contact with the captain _"why can't I ever shake this feeling whenever I'm around you captain Aizen?"_

"_Even when his life isn't on the line he has __**that look**__ in his eyes, truly a formidable man"_ Aizen thought to himself before stretching out his hand and softly saying "were are my manners, I'm Sousuke Aizen, captain of squad five…it's a pleasure to meet you Toushirou Hitsugaya."

"_He seems alright though"_ Hitsugaya thought to himself as he shook the older man's hand "thank you sir, please tell me that bed wetter didn't trouble you into coming here."

"Now, now" Aizen chuckled lightly "she was worried about you, you did get sent to squad four after your first mission after all."

Toushirou took a defeated expression before asking "could you please tell her to stop worrying about me?"

"I will, but I doubt that'll stop her, you are like siblings after all" Aizen stated softly "well I better get back to my squad I imagine you'll both make a name for yourselves in the years ahead" he then walked off.

"Anything else I can do for you captain?" Alexander asked Kaname.

"No that'll do" Kaname answered "go rest up and enjoy your shore-leave tomorrow."

"Yes sir" Alexander answered as he and Toushirou walked off, moments late Alexander turned to Toushirou "meet me and my daughter at the west gate tomorrow morning at six we'll be heading to a remote area just outside the west Rukongai district to avoid interruptions."

"Understood" Toushirou replied as they parted ways.

Back at the senkaimon Kaname Tousen was standing on his own before saying "so what do you think of them?"

Sousuke Aizen walked out from the shadows before saying "there's no doubt that they're both strong and will likely achieve captain class levels of power within the next decade or so, however…"

"You have concerns?" Kaname half asked half stated.

"Correct, I don't believe that this fifth seat of yours is the kind of man to follow along with our plans…he's far too free-minded" Aizen answered "as for this child prodigy you just received, I'll keep an eye on him for the next year or so before I decide; in the mean time I'd like you to continue sending them on high profile missions and pushing them both up the chain of command if you can, give the priority to Toushirou Hitsugaya if you can't promote them both."

"Understood" Kaname answered "they're going to head out for Bankai training tomorrow so that may be a good time to watch them and my fifth seat's daughter."

"Indeed, just remember I want the focus on Toushirou Hitsugaya; I wasted too much time with squad six's Youmei Rammyaku and I fear we'll have similar results with the Dark-Hearts" Aizen stated as he and Kaname went their separate ways.

As the sun rose the next morning most of the shinigami within the seireitei were happily sleeping in whether it was from exhaustion or the sheer amount of alcohol they had consumed the previous night. Toushirou however was waiting patiently by the west gate as he saw his fifth seat and his daughter approaching.

"Damn kid, you're early" Elaina stated lightly.

"It would seem he's quite eager for the training" Alexander stated.

"So am I" Elaina replied before she used a shunpo to get behind Toushirou and placed her right hand on top of his head causing the boy's face to contort with rage "but are you sure it's a good idea let a kid do Bankai training, if half the rumors I've heard about it are true it could seriously wind up killing the squirt."

"Did you just call me a squirt?!" Toushirou hissed as he turned to the woman behind him with a clearly annoyed expression.

Elaina showed no signs of fear as she lowered herself to his level and stretched his mouth into a smile with her fingers before saying "you're adorable when you're angry kid."

That was the last straw; Toushirou quickly drew his blade before saying "bitch."

Elaina drew her Zanpakutou out half-way with her left hand to catch Toushirou's blade before landing a solid shove to his chest with her right hand causing him to roll back about six feet.

"Okay that's enough" Alexander stated "the idea of this exercise is to put you both on the road to achieving Bankai, fight each other on your own time."

"Alright you win dad" Elaina stated as she helped Toushirou off the ground _"I'll have to introduce him to a friend of mine when I get the chance, I bet she'll love him"_ she thought evilly.

Alexander gave her a look that basically read 'whatever your planning please keep me out of it' as the gate opened and the three shinigami all disappeared in a series of shunpo as they headed west. A few minutes after going beyond the last district of western Rukongai the group found them selves at the bottom of a series of waterfalls that fed into a river which undoubtedly led back to Rukongai district they had just left. The river itself flowed through a simple grassy meadow with only a few trees and some six inch tall grass.

"Why did we come here?" Toushirou asked.

"You'll understand in a minute" Alexander answered as he drew both his swords "as I'm sure you're both well aware of, the Bankai release requires the shinigami to force his or hers Zanpakutou into submission; however to do that you first have to manifest your Zanpakutou into our world."

"And how do we do that?" Toushirou asked as he drew his blade and Elaina did the same, Toushirou saw that her Zanpakutou had a six pointed star shaped guard and that the handle was wrapped in a red-orange pattern.

"That's where this setting comes into play" Alexander answered "you see materialization requires a shinigami to strengthen their harmony with their Zanpakutou to an incredibly high level; this meadow's calmly flowing river and soothing atmosphere can help you communicate more effectively with your Zanpakutou and thus make it easier to manifest them into our world."

"_He's right Elaina"_ A distant voice called in Elaina's mind making her smirk.

"Eventually you should be able to manifest your Zanpakutou at will wherever and whenever you wish to train, after that your Zanpakutou will lay down the rules of the challenge to achieve the release; the specifics can vary but in general you should expect it to be incredibly dangerous" Alexander finished "so any questions?"

"I have one" Elaina stated "are you going to show us what your Zanpakutou look like manifested?"

Alexander sighed lightly before saying "very well…come out."

Suddenly both Katana glowed before shooting back a couple of feet behind their owner revealing a pair of women, one of them Toushirou recognized as the one that had tried to take over his mind a little over a day ago. The other however couldn't have looked more different she had long snow white hair that reached halfway down her back and it was very well kept, her eyes were pure white and seemed to emit a feeling of gentleness, she was dressed in a simple white robe, and she had a pair of angel wings on her back with three golden rings floating behind them.

"What's up…do I get to beat the crap out of you yet?" the black clad woman asked as she licked her lips and grabbed Alexander's kimono with her hands.

Suddenly the other woman placed a hand on her shoulder and said "Kokuhyou, he's trying to teach his daughter and his subordinate…can't you control yourself for even a moment?"

"Ah shove it Nehan" Kokuhyou replied "you know how I am, I absolutely love it when he tries to achieve the Bankai release…I get to utterly kick his ass and it's all in the name of training; how can you not enjoy it?"

"You're seriously messed up" Nehan replied.

"Regrettably that little fact is not the point of why I brought you two out into the open" Alexander stated as Kokuhyou let him go and he turned to Toushirou and Elaina "remember once you manifest your Zanpakutou they decide the conditions for your battle against them, Kokuhyou and Nehan if you would, just like when we began."

"Gladly" Nehan stated.

"Fine but let's hurry it up" Kokuhyou pouted as she and Nehan leapt about fifty yards away from Alexander in opposite directions before they started glowing their respective colors.

Toushirou and Elaina watched in amazement as the sky directly above Alexander began to turn a mixture of black and white energy, moments later countless black swords and white swords started flowing through the air next to one another.

"Do you see these blades Alexander?" Nehan asked as she pulled out a sword just like her own shikai form and opened her wings stretching them out to reveal a six foot wing span and her rings began to glow brightly.

"You must find the blade that is the true us" Kokuhyou stated as her eyes began to glow and she pulled an exact replica of her own shikai state as well "for it is the only blade that can kill us and allow you to wield the Bankai release."

"I'm sure you two get the basic idea now" Alexander stated and both Toushirou and Elaina nodded in understandment "I advise you to find somewhere peaceful and far away from here, but not too far I don't want to lose you two when it's time to head back."

"Yeah, yeah, I know dad, you can trust me" Elaina stated as she started to walk towards the edge of the field and it allowed her to pass through as she said "be careful dad."

"Good luck" Toushirou stated as he ran off after Elaina.

"You didn't tell either of them did you?" Nehan asked as she flew towards Alexander and swiped at him before he jumped to the side.

"About what?" Alexander asked.

"Don't be stupid" Kokuhyou stated as she teleported right above him and tried to impale him "you didn't tell them that you can't use your warlock abilities during this training."

"Slipped my mind" Alexander stated as he leapt into the air and grabbed a pair of black and white swords shaped like Arabian long swords "besides that's only so long as Kokuhyou remains standing."

"You're an over-confident bastard, you know that?" Kokuhyou asked as she licked her lips and glared him down with her demonic eyes "that's why I love this."

"Let's go" Alexander stated as he charged Kokuhyou and Nehan quickly perused him.

Elaina and Toushirou had used shunpo to put about a quarter of a mile between them and Alexander's training, it was nothing more than a quite meadow with a gentle breeze running through the grass.

"You think he'll be alright?" Toushirou asked.

"Please my dad doesn't die that easily" Elaina replied bluntly before thinking _"you better stay alive dad or I swear I'll kill you myself."_

Toushirou saw another waterfall off in the distance before saying "I'll let you have this meadow, I'm going to take that waterfall off in the distance."

"Fine by me" Elaina stated as planted her Zanpakutou in the ground in front of her and sat Indian style before Toushirou disappeared with a simple shunpo.

"_You're going to let the boy go on his own?"_ a voice asked in Elaina's mind.

"_If he can't handle a little meditation on his own he has no right to call himself a shinigami and even less of a right to the power of a captain"_ Elaina replied.

"_I guess you're right"_ the voice replied.

"_Of course I am"_ Elaina told the voice as she smiled _"now let's talk about you coming into our world, personally I'd rather skip to the part where I kick your ass and acquire the release."_

"_Be careful what you wish for"_ the voice warned.

Toushirou appeared in front of the waterfall and couldn't help but stare at its natural beauty, it was a lot larger up close about twenty yards wide and it appeared to be about a hundred feet tall.

"_Focus Toushirou"_ Hyourinmaru commanded.

"_Right"_ Toushirou replied as he took a seat close to the bank of the river the waterfall fed into and took a deep breath as he listened to the water _"So any chance of you materializing?"_

"_If you wish for me to come out into your world you must harmonize your soul to my existence"_ Hyourinmaru stated _"in other words you must be like ice yourself."_

"_I'd prefer if you didn't phrase it that way"_ Toushirou replied thinking back to the many people he knew back home who would always say that he was 'just like ice'.

"_I don't care about those vermin you knew back in Rukongai!" _Hyourinmaru roared _"if you want the Bankai release you must first master your own emotions before you can hope to truly control our power!!!"_

"_Does this mean I must become heartless, like the central forty six?" _Toushirou asked.

Hyourinmaru chuckled before stating _"theres a __**big**__ difference between mastering your emotions and completely killing them off to the point where you feel no shame and no remorse."_

"_I'm listening"_ Toushirou replied.

"_Good now listen closely"_ Hyourinmaru answered.

Toushirou and Elaina continued conversing with their Zanpakutou for several hours as Alexander fought against the tag team of Kokuhyou and Nehan. As Toushirou continued communicating with Hyourinmaru he could've sworn he saw the faint outline of a humongous dragon with incredible wings appear over the river in front of him and that the sky seemed a little too dark for it simply to be do to the passage of time. Elaina noticed that some of the grass in front of her was being pressed against the ground before she looked up and noticed the faint outline of a humanoid shaped figure, causing her to smirk. Alexander was having a hell of time just trying to avoid being cut down by an angel and a demon as he went through pair after pair of swords trying to find one that would actually hurt them. Elaina and Toushirou ate their lunches on their own while continuing the dialogue with their Zanpakutou and eventually Alexander took a lunch break in order to avoid dying of starvation before the three resumed training.

"_I think that'll be it for today Toushirou"_ Hyourinmaru stated causing Toushirou to raise an eyebrow as he saw a kidou spell shoot up into the sky at Alexander's location when it faded Toushirou noticed that the sun appeared to be going down and that it'd be time to get something to eat soon.

"Damn" Elaina cursed "time flies I guess."

"_We'll have to pick this up some other time Elaina"_ her Zanpakutou stated calmly as she used a shunpo to meet up with her father.

"Holy Hell" Elaina swore as she saw her father and Toushirou appeared as well, both seemed amazed by the injuries Alexander had acquired while fighting against his own weapons.

Alexander had several cuts on his chest and face, he had lost both sleeves of his kimono during his fight, his hair was down again, and all four limbs appeared to be covered in scrapes and bruises.

"I said it was dangerous didn't I?" Alexander asked lightly as he moved his hair out of his face to reveal a cut on his forehead with blood pouring out threatening to cover his left eye.

"Oh can it" Elaina stated as she made her way over to him and began to use healing kidou on his injuries.

Toushirou watched in amazement as Alexander's wounds slowly began to close and disappear "that's incredible" he stated.

"You don't study under captain Unohana for about thirty years without learning a few tricks" Elaina stated proudly "that's why you don't want to mess with squad four, because when your lying somewhere a mere inch away from death the last thing you want is to be on bad terms with the person who's going to be on the **other** end of the syringe as they say in the world of the living."

"So everyone in squad four can do this?" Toushirou asked.

"No" Alexander replied "most of them can't heal at Elaina's level."

"And regrettably I'm nowhere near as good as captain Unohana" Elaina stated "I swear I've seen her heal patients who would've died on the table in my care like it was nothing, she's amazing to say the least."

"She sounds like quite the individual" Toushirou stated.

"Just don't make her angry" Alexander stated as he thought back to the times he had seen her scare off shinigami twice her size with just her voice.

"Yeah, she has a dark side" Elaina added with a chuckle "but she's really nice."

"Are all the captains as much fun as her and captain Tousen?" Toushirou asked sarcastically remembering the few encounters he had over the past few days.

"All thirteen have their own personalities" Alexander answered "so pretty much."

When Elaina was done healing her father's wounds they prepared to head back to the Seireitei, Elaina went off ahead with a shunpo after saying her good byes. Toushirou was about to do the same before he felt Alexander grip his shoulder.

"Toushirou I need to ask something of you" Alexander stated.

"What is it?" Toushirou asked not liking the sounds of what his officer was saying.

"Remember when Kokuhyou tried to possess you back in the castle?" Alexander asked.

"Yeah" Toushirou stated as he felt a slight chill "why?"

"As you may have noticed she has the same eyes as I do when I'm fighting and when she tried to take you over she saw some **interesting** images in your soul" Alexander.

"_Does he know about Kusaka?"_ Toushirou thought before asking "what kind of images?"

"Very old and violent images" Alexander answered "anyway could you meet me in the squad nine training court tonight at midnight, I'd like to discuss this with you."

"Am I in some kind of trouble?" Toushirou asked _"if they're old they can't be about Kusaka, but would could they be there hasn't been anything violent in my past besides what happened at the Central forty six and the past couple of missions_._"_

Alexander chuckled loudly before saying "of course not I'm just curious is all."

"Okay" Toushirou stated getting the feeling that he wasn't going to enjoy this as he and Alexander followed after Elaina with a shunpo.

"_Very interesting"_ Aizen thought as he appeared out of thin air only a foot or two from where Toushirou and the Dark-Hearts had been before _"there appears to be quite a bit to you Toushirou Hitsugaya."_

Author's notes: hope you enjoyed that. Stay tuned to learn what was up with those freaky images Kokuhyou saw when she tried to take over Toushirou's body. If anyone notices an incorrect translation please tell me so I can rectify it. I hope to have the next chapter up within the next ten days. Until then please leave a review.

Zanpakutou Profile: Kokuhyou and Nehan

Kokuhyou: Damnation

Materialized form-a young woman in her late teens with messy black hair that reaches half-way down her back. She has fangs, claws, demonic eyes, and the marks of the warlock clan like Alexander. She wears a pair of dark black robes with silver clips and linings on the button line, cuffs, and other spots. On a personality front she is best described as rude, crude, foul mouthed, sadistic, and overly aggressive.

Shikai: Kokuhyou changes from a Katana into a long sword with a pronged guard and an emblem with a demonic eye design towards the center.

1st ability- Kokuhyou bursts into over a dozen black spheres which can take control of anyone with a spiritual pressure significantly lower than Alexander's. However this technique leaves Alexander short a blade, thus significantly lower both his offensive and defensive abilities. Activation command "Take him/her…Kokuhyou."

2nd ability- Anyone cut by Kokuhyou in her released state is literally attacked by the evil of their own soul. The effects range from a sudden surge of pain to a crippling pain that leaves them unconscious. The severity depends on three facts; the depth of the cut, the amount of evil in the victim's soul, and how strong the victim's spiritual pressure is.

3rd ability- Kurohari (Dark Needle). All shadow's with thirty yards of Alexander is turned into a spike and used to impale all enemy's within the thirty yards. The fewer enemies it's focused on and the more shadow's within the thirty yards the more powerful the attack. Chant "I call upon the darkest shadows of hell, gather before me and strike my enemies…Kurohari." Unlike a Kidou spell, Alexander can't skip the spirit chant for a less powerful attack, with this attack it's all or nothing.

Nehan: Salvation

Materialized form- a young woman around the same age as Kokuhyou with long snow white hair that reaches half-way down her legs, her eyes are also snow white and have a soft glow, she wears simple white robes, and on her back she has a pair of angel wings with a six foot wing span and three golden rings about three feet in diameter floating behind her. Nehan's personality is very kind and nuturing, however she holds a deep hatred for evil and is more than happy to send them to hell.

Shikai: Nehan also changes from a katana to a long sword with a blue handle, and an angel wing shaped guard with a sapphire oval gem in the center of the guard.

1st ability- Nehan generates a powerful shield capable of withstanding a wide variety of attacks. Activation command "Protect, Nehan." While the shield itself is powerful it also prevents Alexander from moving do to the sheer strain it places on him while it's active.

2nd ability- Nehan generates a small pool of healing energy in a five foot radius of the blade. Activation Command "Nurture Nehan." Unfortunately for Alexander this ability doesn't measure up to having a competent member of squad four on hand for treating injuries, however having even limited medical attention after a fight is a blessing in of itself.

3rd ability- Meimeikanshiki (Divine Judgment). Alexander's spiritual pressure focuses on the tip of the blade and is fired off in a very small but powerful blast that can blow through almost anything in its path. Like the Kurohari Alexander is unable to scrape the spirit chant in exchange for a weakened version, again it's all or nothing. Spirit chant "I call upon the divine light of the heavens, join upon my blade and release thy fury… Meimeikanshiki."

Strengths: Having two blades each with three unique special abilities allow Alexander to adjust his style to the opponent he's facing. The sheer power of the two blades allow him to release large amounts of spirit energy and to overpower must of his enemies and quickly gang the advantage at either close quarters or at a distance.

Weakness: while the sheer power of the two blades and their special abilities make him a nearly unstoppable force capable of adapting to almost any opponent, the sheer amount of spirit energy they drain make it impossible for Alexander to maintain his full fighting ability for long before he runs out of spirit energy.


	5. The Boy's Secret

Author's Notes: Here's the fifth chapter, I'm happy because I managed to keep to my ten day dead line.

Warning this chapter contains a dark and violent secret, sexual tension, and evil plotting.

Please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review.

**Ch. 5 The boy's secret and the first step up the ladder**

Toushirou looked to the night sky in anticipation as he made his way towards the training grounds.

"_What the hell could these images be that he told me about…I don't get it?"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he entered the grounds and saw Alexander deep in thought.

"_If this is what I think it is, it would explain a few things; such as his unusual hair and eye color, not to mention his immense spiritual pressure despite being just a kid and the evil presence Kokuhyou sensed when she tried to possess him…but there's only one way to be certain, I have to see it for myself" _Alexander thought to himself.

"Fifth seat Dark-Heart, you wanted to see me?" Toushirou asked.

Alexander suddenly snapped back to reality before saying "ah yes, sorry to ask you to meet me like this in the middle of the night."

"Sure so what's up with these images you claim Kokuhyou saw?" Toushirou asked quite certain he wasn't going to enjoy where this was going.

"Well to put it simply I don't know for certain" Alexander stated causing Toushirou's jaw to drop slightly "thing is you forced her off before she could get a clear idea, but what she did see was **interesting**…"

"What did she see?" Toushirou asked.

"She said she saw six people lying on the ground either dead or at death's door and a seventh person who was still standing but had been cut from head to toe" Alexander answered.

"Why the hell would she have seen something like that?!" Toushirou asked in confusion.

"You saw Kokuhyou when she tried to take you over right?" Alexander asked and Toushirou nodded "I'm sure you noticed that she has the same demonic eyes that I use while fighting."

"You mean the ones that allow you to gauge an opponent's spiritual pressure, how they focus their spirit energy, and read minds?" Toushirou asked.

"Yes but there are two problems with your statement" Alexander began as his eyes changed and the marks covered his body "first of all I can't exactly read minds…I can only read your basic thought processes."

"What's the difference?" Toushirou asked as he grabbed Hyourinmaru's handle and focused his attention on Alexander's hands just to be safe.

"Relax kid I'm not going to fight you" Alexander stated with a grin "anyway I can't tell what you thinking specifically when I look you in the eyes; I can only get a very basic idea, in other words I could tell if you were angry, planning something sneaky, or having **lustful **thoughts about some girl you know; but I couldn't tell what was angering you, what specifically you were plotting, or who had become the object of your desire."

Toushirou fought back a blush and stated "okay I get it…but how exactly did you know that hollow from Peru was going to attack you from behind?"

"_Elaina was right, this kid is fun to mess with"_ Alexander thought sadistically "well with that one I could tell he was plotting something sneaky, after I picked up on that I noticed that he had half of his tentacles in the ground, after that I basically guessed where he was going to do."

"You guessed?" Toushirou asked flabbergasted.

"I made a very educated and intelligent guess, but a guess none the less" Alexander stated with a small smile "anyway that's not important, what is important is the second flaw in your statement."

"Which would be?" Toushirou asked.

"You only listed three of my eyes' four abilities" Alexander stated the amusement clear in his voice.

"Great so what other unfair advantage do those eyes give you?" Toushirou asked.

"Oh it's not a combat ability like the other three, it's a little something my clan called Konsa-chi (soul search)" Alexander answered.

"What is it?" Toushirou asked.

"In a nut shell it allows me or anyone else with these eyes to search through the history of a subjects soul that stretches back more than a year, in this case your soul's history" Alexander explained.

"So you're saying that gruesome image that Kokuhyou saw was a memory that I experienced at some point?" Toushirou asked and Alexander nodded "don't you think I would remember seeing something that horrible?"

"There is one reason I can think of as to why you wouldn't remember" Alexander stated "tell me, what are your earliest memories?"

"_Where in the hell's he going with this?" _Toushirou thought to himself before answering "I remembering being found on the streets back in Rukongai by my grandmother and Momo."

"When was this?" Alexander asked.

"About fifteen years ago" Toushirou replied.

"Anything before that?" Alexander asked inquisitively "where you lived before, anything from the world of the living?"

Toushirou searched his memories trying to find something before he answered "no, I don't have any memories before then."

"I see" Alexander stated.

"So you believe my lack of memories has something to do with that image?" Toushirou asked.

"It's definitely a possibility…I have a theory that would explain that, but I'd like to confirm it first" Alexander answered "will you let me perform a Konsa-chi?"

"You say the memories have to be at least a year old for you to see them?" Toushirou asked not wanting him to see what happened at Central Forty Six.

"Correct any sooner than that and they won't be ingrained into your soul" Alexander answered and Toushirou seemed to be contemplating "there will likely be some intense sensations but it won't hurt you I promise."

"Why not?" Toushirou asked giving into his curiosity "what do I need to do?"

"First please take a seat and take some deep breathes" Alexander stated. After Toushirou removed Hyourinmaru from his back and placed it to his side Alexander pulled out a few black crystals similar to the one he had used on their mission to Washington.

"What are those?" Toushirou asked.

"Dark Soul crystals" Alexander answered as he placed them in a square shaped pattern with five foot sides around the pair of shinigami "members of my clan are able to create these by focusing and compressing our spiritual energy into the form of a crystal and some of our techniques require us to use these as a catalyst; take that hollow I turned into a living bomb during our last mission."

"Dare I ask what you're going to use these for?" Toushirou asked just before four black walls shot up about ten feet around them and a black roof appeared over them and yet they somehow could still see.

"Warlock art, Asylum of silence" Alexander stated "this technique can turn a small area into a sound proof area, in other words no sounds get in or out of this space."

"Why are you using this?" Toushirou asked.

"Sometimes the subject of a Konsa-chi make incredibly loud noises and I don't want to disturb the peace" Alexander replied.

"Great, what's next?" Toushirou asked.

"Just relax, whatever I see will stay between us" Alexander stated as he took a seat a couple of feet away from Toushirou "now just breathe and look into my eyes."

Toushirou did as the man commanded and looked into his blood red eyes as they began to glow darkly suddenly Toushirou felt his eyes shoot towards the back of his head as his vision blurred but he didn't lose consciousness, he tried to move but his limbs felt like they were all made of lead even though they were all shaking uncontrollably. Moments later he saw countless images flying past him, some he recognized and some he did not, he felt as if his head was going to explode before he heard Alexander's voice.

"Don't worry Toushirou, just try to relax; take a few deep breathes" he commanded.

Toushirou did as he was told and after a few moments he could feel the pulsing sensation in his head die down but the images were still flickering at tremendous speed.

"Just try to stay calm" Alexander's voice commanded "when I've found what I'm looking for I'll end this session and tell you what I found."

"Don't take too long" Toushirou barked as he felt his heart rate return to normal.

Alexander chuckled before saying "I won't" as he began to look through Toushirou's memories.

Alexander began to look through Toushirou's memories as if he was walking through the hallway of a museum as he saw the portraits that represented Toushirou's memories on both sides. One after the other he glanced at his memories spanning back one year, five years, ten years and so forth.

"For a kid he sure has a lot of memories" Alexander chuckled to himself as he finally found a conspicuously white painting of a field of ice with several bloody humanoid shapes.

Alexander looked to the side of the portrait which read 'Siberia: 1860'.

"Damn" Alexander stated in shock "the brat has memories that go back to before I was even freaking born" Alexander placed his right palm on the painting as he looked to his side "after this painting there's a black out of memories for about eighty five years, this fits with my theory but I better make sure" he focused his eyes on the portrait before saying "open" with a commanding voice.

Suddenly the portrait began to glow as a large amount of snow flew out and surrounded Alexander in a sphere for a few moments before dispersing. Alexander looked around to see himself in the mountains in the middle of an intense snow storm and everything was standing still it was like being in the middle of a photograph. He looked around for a few moments before he saw eight humanoid shaped figures.

"No freaking way" Alexander stated when he got close enough to the figures to see what they were.

Seven of the figures were all dressed in the robes of the shinigami, all seven of them had their Zanpakutou drawn, but what surprised him the most was the fact that each of them was wearing a white captain's haori. The first was a blonde haired man who appeared to be in his forties with brown eyes wearing a sleeveless haori with the kanji for twelve on the back. The next was a woman who appeared to be in her mid twenties soft brown hair and eyes, and wearing a long sleeved haori with the kanji for ten on the back. The third was a woman who appeared to be in her late teens with brown hair, green eyes, and was wearing a sleeveless haori with the kanji for nine on the back. The fourth was a man who appeared to be in his thirties with short black hair, brown eyes, and a sleeveless haori with the kanji for seven on the back. The fifth was a man who appeared to be in his early twenties with flaming red hair, green eyes, and he was searing a sleeveless haori with the kanji for five on the back. The sixth was a woman who appeared to be in her mid thirties with long blonde hair and light blue eyes who was wearing a long sleeved haori with the kanji for three on the back. But the last shinigami was the one that truly made Alexander's eyes pop; he had the appearance of a man in his seventies or eighties, there wasn't a single hair on the top of his head but he had a long white beard that nearly reached his feet, he was holding his sheath with one hand and he was gripping the handle with the other, though he was wearing a haori he didn't have his arms through the sleeves, but what surprised Alexander the most was the kanji for one on the back.

"Old man Yamamoto, what the hell are you doing in one of Toushirou's memories?" Alexander asked as he looked at Yamamoto's still younger form and noticed that no limiter was present and that there weren't any scars "seven captains including the head captain, without limiters in a remote section of the world of the living" he then looked towards the ground as he saw several large bags with a strange blue powder pouring out "and a large amount of bait to draw out" he then looked towards the eighth figure "this I would assume" he walked towards the final figure whom the captains were all facing with their swords drawn.

The final figure was a hallow with a humanoid shape about six feet tall, its mask had a dragon like jaw sticking out towards the bottom and two foot white horns stretching towards the back, its golden eyes were looking towards the captains with murderous intents. What caught Alexander's attention even more were the ice surrounding both its hands in the shape of dragon hands, his legs were also covered in ice and they formed into the shape of talons towards the feet, there was a tail made of ice about fifteen feet long stretching out on the ground, and the most striking feature of all were the wings made out of ice that stretched about ten feet from one end to the other.

"Well now, Ice and dragons" Alexander stated with amusement "as I guessed my little subordinate used to be a hollow, and a Vasto Lorde on top of that" Alexander chuckled when he had a sudden realization which caused him to take a second look at the seven captains "the date, the captains appearances and their squads match up, and this was before old man Yamamoto got the scars; and they're facing a Vasto Lorde class hollow with the appearance of ice dragons."

"_I better record this for Toushirou, I mean this is even beyond what I suspected" _Alexander thought as he pulled out another black crystal and held it up to his right eye, he took a few steps back before the crystal began to glow a light green and Alexander said "play."

Instantly the snow began to blow in the high velocity winds as Yamamoto unsheathed his sword and commanded "don't let your guards down for even a moment and don't even think of letting it get away!!!"

"Sir!!!" The captains shouted their understanding.

The tenth and seventh squad captains standing in front of Yamamoto began to shout "Ban…" but they were cut off when the Vasto Lorde appeared in front of them and forced a hand through both their hearts before they fell to the ground in a pool of their own blood.

"Unbelievable" Alexander stated in shock.

"You bastard!!!" the ninth squad captain shouted as he tried to take the beast from behind but was stopped in his tracks as it suddenly flew backwards into the air, grabbed him by the throat with its left arm and threw him towards the ground creating a ten foot crater before launching a humongous ice dragon towards the captain, when it cleared the man was literally frozen stiff with an expression of utter terror covering his face.

"All things in the universe turn to ashes, Ryuujin Jakka" Yamamoto's voice echoed through the air as a large stream of fire raced towards the Vasto Lorde, evaporating all the snow within a twenty foot radius.

The Vasto Lorde held out both its hands and launched two ice dragons towards the flames, when the two attacks met the Vasto Lorde was forced back over a dozen yards but avoided injury. Suddenly the third squad captain appeared behind him holding what appeared to be a large hammer with electricity pulsing through it and her body.

"You're mine" she shouted as she slammed the hammer into his back and sent him flying towards the ground creating a twenty foot crater.

Suddenly the squad twelve captain appeared in front of the crater holding what appeared to be a staff covered in blue and red crystals, when the smoke finally cleared he successfully shouted "Bakudou 99 Bankin" almost instantly several large boxes slammed down on the beast's back and limbs pinning him to the ground.

Immediately following the spell was the squad five captain who shouted "Bankai" and appeared with a seven foot long poll with two large fans on each end which he swung towards the pinned monster before shouting "Kaze******satsuriku (wind massacre)" causing the air to cut into the beast's flesh across his body.**

**"****This'll finish you" the squad three captain shouted as she flew towards him now holding two hammers and she had what appeared to be two large generators behind her "lets see how you like my Bankai, Raikoupa-ji (lightning purge)" she swung both hammers down on the beast creating a large flash of light, moments later she jumped from the explosion and stood to the right of the squad twelve captain.**

**"****Did we get him?" the squad twelve captain asked as the squad five captain came up on the left.**

**"****Best to be certain" Yamamoto stated as the flames of his Ryuujin Jakka raced towards the crater in the hopes of finishing off the Vasto Lorde. **

******Moments before the flames struck two large ice dragons shot out from the mist towards the three captains forcing the squad five and three captains to jump away, the squad twelve captain quickly lifted his staff just in time before both hands of the Vasto Lorde wrapped around its opposite ends. The beast was bleeding from several different wounds on various parts of its body, several sections of his body had lost some of the ice that had covered it, and one of its wing had been blown off.**

**"****LOOK OUT!!!" The squad five captain shouted.**

**"****Shit" the squad twelve captain swore as he saw the hollow's tail wrap around him before piercing him through the heart, moments later he fell to the ground.**

**"****You monster" the squad three captain hissed as she and the squad five captain tried to leap towards him but felt their feet frozen to the ground.**

**"****Damn" the squad five captain swore as several spears of ice caught them off guard and pierced the two of them in multiple spots.**

**The Vasto Lorde was about to finish them before he was intercepted by a large wall of fire which destroyed more sections of the ice covering him leaving his legs exposed.**

"Leave him to me this has gone on long enough" Yamamoto commanded as he got between them and the Vasto Lorde.

Alexander watched in amazement as the head captain and the Vasto Lorde traded blows, the battle dragged on for well over half an hour leaving both contenders covered in cuts and broken bones. The hollow's other wing and its tail had both been destroyed and segments of the ice dragons covering his hands had been blasted away. Moments later Yamamoto sent another stream of flames towards the dragon like hollow even larger than the ones from earlier, the Vasto Lorde responded by holding out both hands and to the head captain's surprise opened its mouth before gathering energy to fire three large ice dragons. Alexander couldn't help but be amazed at the large amount of steam caused when the two attacks met as it shot out in all directions, when it finally cleared the Vasto Lorde was standing over a kneeling Yamamoto who was covered in lacerations, the worst of them was on the top of his head. The Vasto Lorde chuckled at the old man as his wings, tail, and missing segments regenerated right in front of him.

"So you were just toying with me as well?" the old man asked.

"That's correct, shinigami" the Vasto Lorde laughed "you and your people should have released your Bankais before trying to draw me out, it could've ended a lot better for you if you had."

Before he could respond the head captain felt the beast kick him in the stomach sending him flying over fifty yards, when the head captain landed he felt a foot planted on top of his chest and the talons began to rip into his flesh.

"So this is how the great head captain Yamamoto meets his end?" the Vasto Lorde asked "I'm disappointed."

The old man watched as the hollow began to laugh hysterically before he shouted "BANKAI!!!"

Alexander watched as a huge pillar of fire shot up from their location in an instant, he couldn't see or hear clearly what was going on but when the flames disappeared moments later he saw the old man standing with the blade of his Zanpakutou going through the hollow's heart.

"Damn" the Vasto Lorde swore quietly as he began to disappear.

"Pause" Alexander commanded when he saw the beast's mask break revealing the face of a young man who appeared to be in his early to mid twenties with silver hair and blue-green eyes "I can't believe it, I mean I knew it was possible that you were once a hollow, but the same hollow who killed six captains and gave old man Yamamoto most of his scars…it's just unbelievable."

Alexander looked at the bodies of the squad seven, ten, nine, and twelve captains thinking _"four dead"_ he then looked at the fallen squads three and five captains before thinking _"two close to death, there's no way they could've survived these injuries"_ and then he finally walked over to the bloodied head captain Yamamoto _"and one cut from head to toe."_

Alexander sighed heavily before saying "okay that's enough."

Suddenly the scene around him began to fade into nothingness revealing himself and Toushirou back at the squad nine training grounds.

Toushirou blinked a couple of times as his vision returned to normal and he asked "What did you see?"

Alexander took a deep breath as his eyes turned back to their normal green color, the asylum of silence disappeared, and his marks receded before he handed Toushirou the green dark soul crystal and said "focus your spirit energy into the crystal and you'll see what I saw."

Toushirou did as he was told and watched in a combination of amazement and horror as he watched the monstrous figure in his memories strike down six captains and leave the head captain practically shredded. But what shocked him the most was the face behind the mask even though the face was older than the one he knew so well, there was no mistaking it.

"I was a hollow?" Toushirou asked in shock "and on top of that I was a Vasto Lorde!?"

"And not just any Vasto Lorde, but the most deadly monster the soul society has ever faced, The Frozen Devil" Alexander answered causing Toushirou to look up at him in shock "the Vasto Lorde that attacked the Seireitei fifty years ago was ultimately killed when captains Ukitake, Tousen, and Kyouraku ganged up on it, they came out of it with several injuries but they're all still alive and well."

"Vasto Lorde class have **that **much power?!" Toushirou asked.

"Put the average captain up against the average Vasto Lorde and the Vasto Lorde will win nine times out of ten" Alexander answered "like I said you were easily the nastiest case in recorded history; seven captains faced you and in the end and six of them died."

Toushirou was speechless for what seemed like hours when he finally said "I don't know what to think of this…"

"Well there is a bright side" Alexander stated getting Toushirou's attention "since you were the frozen devil before you came to the soul society, most if not all of that creature's power is now lying dormant within you."

"_Within me…"_ Toushirou thought solemnly.

"You do want to become head captain someday right?" Alexander asked.

"Yes" Toushirou answered.

"Well consider this, the Frozen Devil's power was so great that you were able to throw **the** Genryuusai Yamamoto around as if he were a rag doll; from what I saw the only reason he won was because you got carried away in your gloating and he caught you with his Bankai" Alexander explained.

"And you say that power's currently lying dormant in me?" Toushirou asked.

"Most of it should be, if you're lucky all of it" Alexander answered.

"I'll definitely have to think about it" Toushirou sighed "but first I'd like to clear my head."

"I recommend you go grab some breakfast and a nice cup of tea then" Alexander stated "that should help."

"What?" Toushirou asked when he looked to the sky and noticed that the sun was rising to the east _"how long did that take?" _he thought to himself.

"Sorry, about that" Alexander stated "I wasn't expecting that to take so long, anyway go get something to eat and think about what I told you, and whatever you decide don't worry I won't tell anyone what I saw."

"Thanks" Toushirou stated as he walked off and Alexander went his own way.

"_It should be interesting to see what you do if you __**do**__ manage get a hold of that power"_ Alexander thought to himself _"my guess is you'll either become a revolution the likes of which the soul society has never seen, or you'll become the ultimate destroyer…I doubt things will ever be dull again for the rest of my existence."_

"So the Frozen Devil has finally come into the Soul Society?" Aizen stated as he dispelled his illusion "I'll definitely want to see if this boy can be used."

Toushirou walked around the streets as a number of shinigami started to head out for duty or to grab a meal.

"_Now what would be a good place?"_ Toushirou thought.

"Lil shirou" a voice called out to him causing a vein to pop on his head.

"How many times have I asked you to stop calling me Lil shirou?!" Toushirou asked "I think I've made that clear by now that I hate that nickname, Momo."

"Sorry" Momo replied forcing back a laugh "so what are you doing up this early?"

"Trying to get some breakfast" Toushirou answered with a slight hint of annoyance.

"Oh I know a great place at the end of the road, come on we need to catch up" Momo said happily.

"_Why not?"_ Toushirou thought as he followed Momo to a small restaurant.

The two of them had a pleasant meal. Toushirou couldn't have been more grateful for the relative normalcy after the past few days and the only thing that was really missing was their grandmother to complete the family, but it was enjoyable none the less.

"So how's squad nine been for you Toushirou?" Momo asked "I doubt it can beat my squad five, Captain Aizen's the best."

"_I swear, this freaking captain Aizen"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as he took a sip of tea "I like it here in squad nine; Captain Tousen is very strong and I can tell he's very devoted to the pursuit of justice, my fifth seat is something else to."

"You mean that **weirdo** who visited you in squad four?" Momo asked.

"Yeah, he helped me get started on Bankai training" Toushirou stated "he's incredible, it's just a shame that captain Tousen has been forced to screw him over for promotions because he's a little different from the rest of us; I still can't help but wonder how he ended up with two Zanpakutou, I know the white one used to belong to someone else but he hasn't told me why it works for him."

"Bankai training?!" Momo asked horrified "Toushirou that's incredibly dangerous, you could die, you're not…"

"Captain Aizen" Toushirou finished for her "you know I've only met him once but captain Aizen has flaws just like the rest of us, he's only a man after all."

"But you're…" Momo replied.

"…a child?" Toushirou finished her again "Momo you have no idea how old I **actually** am, besides even your captain Aizen started off as a child at one point."

Momo sighed before saying "just promise me you'll be careful."

"Fine I promise" Toushirou stated as he took another sip of tea "tell me something, how's your training coming along?"

"Oh, I think I'm close to hearing my swords name, I'm afraid it's still a little distant" Momo answered with a blush.

"Let me get this straight" Toushirou began as he placed his cup back on the table and grinned "you had five years more than I did at the academy and you still can't use shikai yet, and **you're** worrying about me?"

Momo was silent for a couple of moments before simply saying "shut up."

For the first time in weeks Toushirou let out a light chuckle before he said "I'll handle the bill."

"Thank you" Momo said with a small smile as he went up to the register.

After Toushirou paid the bill he couldn't help but scold when the cashier placed his change on the counter, he was about to chew the man off before he thought _"wait a minute this is __**just **__like when…"_

"Hey what kind of clerk are you?!" A female voice boomed.

"_No freaking way!!!"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he turned to the source of the voice only to be slapped right in the face something large covered in a black kimono _"you've __**got**__ to be kidding me"_ he thought as he felt the back of his head slam into a nearby table causing the two shinigami to jump away and giving the young genius a nosebleed _"three…two…one_._"_

"And you?!" the woman's voice called out as she reached to pick the boy up by his collar when he grabbed her wrist.

"I was about to give the bastard a piece of my mind" Toushirou replied as he looked up to see a familiar face who seemed to recognize him.

"You" she stated simply.

"But then **someone **decided to come out of nowhere and try to kill me with her damned breasts again!!!" Toushirou hissed "seriously were you not satisfied with nearly killing me back in Rukongai you damn crazy woman?!"

"Toushirou who is this woman?" Momo asked in horror as he let go of her wrist.

Elaina walked in with a very amused expression before saying "why didn't you tell me that you two have already met third seat Matsumoto" she began to chuckle.

Rangiku looked to the boy on the ground before asking "this is the boy you were telling me about Elaina?"

"Yeah the little genius who graduated in nine months and found his way into my dad's squad, Toushirou Hitsugaya; I was hoping you could help him lighten up" Elaina answered.

All the shinigami in the restaurant were watching with a combination of terror, intrigue, and amusement as the boy stood up with what appeared to be a vein threatening to pop on his forehead.

"Toushirou who is this woman and how do you know her?" Momo asked clearly worried with what was happening.

"I met her while I was out running an errand for grandma before I entered the academy, she literally appeared out of nowhere and cracked my skull on a freaking table when the clerk dropped my change on the counter" Toushirou answered "as for **who** she is, I'd like to know that myself."

Rangiku looked at his annoyed expression before she burst out laughing "you were right Elaina, he's hilarious when he's angry" she then stretched his mouth out into a smile.

"Damn you" Toushirou swore before he focused his spirit energy on her fingers causing them to ice over before she pulled them out.

"_Very impressive"_ Rangiku thought as she broke the ice off with her own spirit energy and said "sorry I never introduced myself, my name is Rangiku Matsumoto, I'm the third seat of squad ten; I must admit I'm surprised, who would have thought that the same rat child I met in Rukongai would be the child prodigy I've heard so much about."

"Rat child?!" Toushirou shouted "who the hell are you calling a rat child?!"

The pair of shinigami immediately engaged each other in an odd psychotic dialogue that would often involve Rangiku saying something sweetly or mildly flirtatious and Toushirou firing back an angry response. In a matter of minutes shinigami were crowded around the two and most of them were laughing hysterically.

Elaina made her way over to Momo and said "I knew it'd be worth while to get those two in the same room, but damn this just too much" as she forced back a laugh.

"So let me get this straight" Momo stated as she watched them in confusion "that happened between them before?"

"You mean the part where she appeared out of nowhere and hit him in the face with her boobs?" Elaina asked having to force back another laugh "it would seem so."

"That's inappropriate" Momo stated.

"And amusing" Elaina added causing Momo to raise an eyebrow "don't look at me, I had no idea there'd be so much sexual tension involved, I just put them together for laughs."

"I get the feeling that if you had known, you would've done it anyway" Momo stated starting to catch on to the other woman's personality.

"You're damn right" Elaina stated "Hell I would've done it sooner if I had known" she then burst out laughing as she saw Rangiku holding Toushirou in a vicious bear hug.

"Man you really can't pay for entertainment like this" a shinigami next to Momo and Elaina chuckled.

"Damn right, you know it's at times like this I'm grateful that squad thirteen's new sixth seat was raised by a de…" another shinigami replied but stopped when he felt something metallic close to his crotch.

"I'm sorry" Elaina whispered sweetly in his ear "this really is a funny thing, every time someone tries to talk crap about my family, my blade seems to find it's way to the poor bastard's crotch" she pressed it lightly before saying "choose your next words carefully, unless you don't want to have kids."

"Shutting up now" he said before sighing when he saw the blade being sheathed.

"Smart man" Elaina said as she went back to watching Toushirou and Rangiku.

"You're not a very nice person are you?" Momo asked still shocked at the events unfolding in front of her.

"That's a matter of perspective" Elaina answered with a grin "now if you don't mind, I'd like to watch how long the old married couple can keep this up."

"_Toushirou, what kind of people have you gotten yourself involved with?!"_ Momo thought in concern.

-Six months after Toushirou joined the thirteen squads, ruined section of the Seireitei-

Toushirou was sitting on the ground with his Zanpakutou sticking in the ground in front of him with his eyes closed.

"_Just a little further, Toushirou"_ Hyourinmaru's voice called out to him.

"_I know, just give me a minute"_ Toushirou replied as he focused on only his breathing and the sword in front of him _"almost there"_ Toushirou could feel a strong presence emerging in front of him as he focused like he never had before _"now!!!"_

"Well done, Toushirou" Hyourinmaru stated.

Toushirou opened his eyes in anticipation since he had actually heard the voice with his ears and not his mind to see a fifty foot long dragon made of ice with dark red eyes and a pair of large wings standing right in front of him.

Toushirou grinned slightly when he realized that he had finally succeeded in materializing the dragon in front of him before he said "finally, now what's your game Hyourinmaru?"

"Watch your words" Hyourinmaru cautioned as he spread his wings and flew twenty feet into the air "now look in front of you" he commanded. Toushirou watched as an ice-sickle appeared in front of him and shattered revealing his Zanpakutou in its shikai state "take it."

Toushirou picked it up and noticed that everything seemed right, it didn't seem to weigh any more or less than it would normally, the size was right, the chain extended just as it would normally, but Toushirou noticed that he couldn't launch any ice attacks with it.

"_I guess ice attacks would be useless against him anyway"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he took his stance.

"You must slay me with that blade" Hyourinmaru instructed.

"_Tch, Dark-Heart wasn't kidding, this sword is about as long as one of his fangs, this'll be beyond dangerous…Hell it just might be suicide" _Toushirou thought to himself.

"Succeed and you'll prove that you have the heart of a dragon and you'll earn the Bankai, but I must warn you it **will** be dangerous" Hyourinmaru continued "are you ready?"

"I think the answer is obvious" Toushirou answered.

"Very well then" Hyourinmaru replied before he opened his jaw and roared so loud that a couple of the wrecked buildings in the vicinity collapsed.

Hyourinmaru launched an ice dragon towards Toushirou through his mouth. Toushirou dodged it with a shunpo. Toushirou eyed the materialized form of his Zanpakutou with determination as he lead towards it.

"_Let's go"_ Toushirou thought as he flew towards the beast.

-One year after Toushirou joined the thirteen squads, squad nine training grounds-

Most of the ninth squad including Kaname Tousen were observing an all out match between two of their squad's most prominent members, Toushirou Hitsugaya vs. Alexander Dark-Heart. The fight had attracted a number of observers from other squads including the captains of squads three and five along with Rangiku, Elaina, and Aizen's new Fifth seat Momo Hinamori.

"Would ya look at that, the two of them sure are goin afta each other" Gin stated "I can see why the lil boy broke soma my records, his opponent sure is a toughy as well."

"Captain Ichimaru" Rangiku stated as she saw them both thrown back several yards.

"Remember ta call me Gin" Gin replied "ya worried about the lil one aint ya Ran?"

"Well" Rangiku replied as she felt him put a hand on her shoulder.

"Dontcha worry Ran, you only have an eye for the best talent out there, he'll be fine" Gin assured her "it's not like ya to break down like the lil madam over there na."

Rangiku turned to see Momo who looked like she was about to lose consciousness but was being supported by captain Aizen."

"_Come on kid"_ Rangiku thought to herself as she turned back to their match.

Both Toushirou and Alexander were breathing heavily as they locked blades towards the center, they both had released their shikais and the large amounts of ice, cracks, and craters were a testament to the power both shinigami wield. Both shinigami were covered in scrapes and small bruises, but neither one was ready to back down.

"You've gotten a Hell of a lot stronger since the last time we spared" Alexander chuckled evilly as his eyes began to glow "a year ago you could only shoot off maybe two or three of those ice attacks of yours and then you'd run out, but look at you now, over a half dozen attacks and you're still fighting."

"The same can be said of you" Toushirou replied "you've used your Zanpakutou's special abilities eight times now and you're still your usual sick, sadistic, and generally dark mannered self when fighting."

"You noticed" Alexander stated.

"Of course I did" Toushirou stated, moments later Toushirou launched an ice dragon towards Alexander when he noticed that the man had started chanting something.

Alexander ran towards the dragon and pointed Nehan at it as he finished his chant and shouted "Meimeikanshiki!"

The blast and the dragon met half-way and exploded into a large area of steam. Alexander was forced to jump to the side to avoid the crescent blade that appeared out of nowhere thanks to the cover provided by the steam. Alexander immediately jumped after the blade when he saw it being pulled back and swung both blades down when he saw his opponent. Toushirou immediately lifted his blade and pressed his left hand on the back towards the point to support it as it locked with Kokuhyou and Nehan.

"_So, he's become so strong that even with both my swords pressing down on him, I can't cut through his blade like I could a year ago…he truly has gotten stronger"_ Alexander thought before his smile stretched to new lengths _"I knew he wouldn't disappoint."_

Toushirou began to push with all his strength as ice started forming around Alexander's blades and he leapt back.

"_So his spiritual pressure has gotten to the point were he can freeze an opponents weapons or limbs just by getting close enough…he's too agile for Meimeikanshiki, so I guess that leaves me with one trick"_ Alexander thought to himself as he raised his right hand and began to chant "I call upon the darkest shadows of hell, gather before me and strike my enemies."

"Damn" Toushirou swore softly as he leapt towards Alexander.

"Kurohari" Alexander finished.

Toushirou leapt into the air and sliced the shadow that approached him to avoid being ran through. When he landed he leapt to his right to avoid a follow up, when he regained his footing he was forced to block Alexander's blades. Toushirou leapt back as soon as he blocked to avoid another shadow before he focused his spirit energy into the tip Hyourinmaru before he swung the blade forward covering the ground in ice and nullifying the spell.

"Excellent" Alexander stated "you've managed to overcome both Meimeikanshiki and Kurohari, you truly are a genius."

Toushirou swung Hyourinmaru sending a dragon racing towards Alexander.

Alexander raised Nehan and said "protect, Nehan" creating a shield.

Ice and water flew everywhere when the dragon collided with Nehan's shield. Alexander smirked when the dragon failed to pierce it just like before, but Alexander's expression changed from amusement to shock when he felt a chain rap around his right arm before it froze over. Alexander looked to his right to see Toushirou swing his blade towards him and knock Nehan out of his left arm. Toushirou immediately swung his blade towards Alexander's neck and Alexander lunged the tips of his left fingers towards Toushirou's they both stopped mere centimeters from taking the other's life.

"Most impressive" Kaname's voice called out and the two backed away from each other "it would seem you're both a force of nature."

"Thank you sir" the two said as they saluted.

"Toushirou are you alright?" Momo asked as she rushed over to him and began to check him for serious injuries.

"Momo, for the last time I'm fine" Toushirou hissed as he forced her hand away "it was a sparring match that ended in a draw, not a one on one duel to the death for crying out loud!"

"It would seem you're growing strong fast" Rangiku stated amazed at the child's progress "I doubt I could've fought at that level for more than a minute or two."

"Dad, please tell me you were holding back" Elaina half whined.

"Afraid not" Alexander replied as the marks disappeared and he began to thaw out his right arm with a small kidou flame "I must admit that I'm extremely impressed, just about every aspect of your fighting style has improved dramatically since our last match, and on top of that you were smart enough to force me to use Nehan's shield, freeze my right arm so I couldn't use Kokuhyou on you, and then you knocked Nehan out of my hand leaving me effectively disarmed."

"It was still a tie" Toushirou sighed as the ice shattered and Alexander sheathed Kokuhyou "if that had been an actual battle to the death it would've come down to what was faster at the very end, my blade or your claws."

"Come on na, no need to be so humble" Gin stated as he stood before the boy "ya sure are somethin, I'd expect no less from someone Ran discovered herself."

"Thanks" Toushirou replied respectfully.

"_Ya're just what I've been lookin for"_ Gin thought to himself as Sousuke Aizen made his way forward.

"Very impressive, I can tell you have a bright future ahead of yourself Toushirou" Aizen stated gently as he held out his hand and Toushirou shook it.

"Congratulations, Fourth Seat Hitsugaya" Alexander stated as he sheathed Nehan.

"Thank you, Fifth Seat Dark-Heart" Toushirou answered.

"Okay that's enough with all the formalities" Elaina stated as she slapped the two of them on the back nearly knocking them both over.

"Miss Dark-Heart" Momo stated at her nerve.

"Call me Elaina" she replied "and besides who are you to talk, you've been trying to baby fourth seat Hitsugaya since day one and he outranks you to."

"But that's" Momo had to fight back a blush.

"I'm afraid she's got you there" Rangiku stated "but still Elaina has a point, it's time to celebrate the kid's promotion, I know an excellent place…it's got the best sake in the Soul Society."

"How is this celebrating **my** promotion when I **don't **drink and you drink excessively?" Toushirou asked bluntly.

"Come on now, you need to lighten up and enjoy yourself" Rangiku said playfully "you don't want to end up like captain Kuchki do you?"

"Oh shut it" Toushirou hissed as they made their way off to the streets leaving the three captains to them selves.

Aizen watched as Toushirou and Alexander walked off having a conversation, though the two were dressed in normal shinigami attire Aizen saw them both wearing a white haori.

"So what do you think?" Kaname asked "clearly they're abilities go far beyond any normal shinigami."

"I'm afraid that they're both far too free willed for our plans, I fear they both would be even more trouble than that boy named Renji I transferred over to squad eleven" Aizen answered.

"What about usin yu're Zanpakutou to indoctrinate them?" Gin asked with his usual hint of amusement.

"That won't work" Aizen answered "it would seem that who they are and what they do are so deeply entwined with each other that I can't sacrifice one without losing the other."

"What about using your new fifth seat or squad ten's third seat?" Kaname asked.

"I'm afraid Ran isn't quite trusting nuf of me for that to wirk" Gin stated "and I think it would lead to sum misunderstanding if either of you tried."

"And it would appear that while he does care for Momo, he doesn't just do what she wants him to if he has reservations for whatever reasons" Aizen added.

"So we can't use either Toushirou or the Dark-Hearts?" Kaname asked.

"No, I'm afraid not" Aizen answered "but I may have another use for your fourth and fifth seats."

"What would that be?" Kaname asked.

"An experiment" Aizen answered "I'm curious to see what effects it may have on the souls of a former Vasto Lorde and a Warlock."

Kaname was silent for several seconds before saying "tell me what I need to do."

Author's notes: And that's the fifth chapter, I don't know about you but I've wanting to either see or read a scene where Old man Yamamoto got his ass beat, so I wrote one myself. I hope to have the sixth chapter up ASAP, until then please leave a review.

**Warlock Attribute: Demonic Eyes**

A special but incredibly rare trait among the warlock traits, on average for every one million Warlocks born only one will develop this trait. These eyes grant the warlock four abilities:

1st The ability to gauge someone's spiritual pressure

2nd These eyes allow the Warlock to tell where a target focuses their spirit energy allowing them to predict their next attack, example: they see an opponent focus their energy into their hands, they can predict a spell or blast of some kind.

3rd The ability to read someone's 'simple thought processes' as long as they have eye contact with their subject (see Alexander's explanation to see how it's different from full-fledged mind reading).

4th Konsa-chi the warlock is able to look into the history of a subject's soul that goes back farther than a year; this is very useful for interrogations.


	6. Betrayal

Author's notes: Sorry this took so long I was sick for a couple of days so I'm afraid it pushed the release date back quite a bit.

This is my longest chapter yet so you may want to take care of any chores before you begin.

I own only my OCs

Please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review

**Ch.6 Betrayal **

It was mid afternoon when Toushirou got back from his mission, it wasn't one to necessarily write home about; just to take the new recruits to a green zone a few miles outside Beijing to get them some experience fighting actual hollows instead of just some dummies. When they got back Toushirou couldn't help but smirk at how nearly all of them had been bragging about breaking some sort of promotion speed record, killing enough hollows to leave the world of the living quite for a month, or some other stupid feat they thought they could accomplish before they went on the mission; and now those very people were covered from head to toe in bruises and minor cuts.

"Okay that concludes our mission" Toushirou shouted to the group as they sighed in relief "good work with those E class hollows, keep this up and some of you may get to help with some D or C class within the year, in the mean time head over to squad four for some treatment."

Toushirou began to walk off but stopped when he heard a voice call out "wait a minute" Toushirou turned to the source of the voice to see a man with short black facial hair and a ponytail, about seven feet tall with a muscular build "why are we taking orders from a child?!"

Most of the shinigami gasped at his comment and a couple of shinigami walking by stopped to watch as the giant walked up to the short seated officer.

"_Here we go again"_ Toushirou thought to himself in annoyance as he looked up at the man "simple, because **I** am the fourth seat of **your** squad, the other seated officers are all either busy with administrative work or on some sort of mission of their own and it'd be a foolish waste to bother captain Tousen with such a routine mission."

"That's not what I mean" the man shouted ignoring his injuries "why is a brat like you an officer instead of me in the first place?" he began to reach his hand down to the boy's head as he said "you're just a damn…"

He was cut out when he felt an incredibly strong grip below his wrist "because you're far too weak" Toushirou stated as he moved the man's arm over to the side with one hand before saying "hand to hand combat has got to be my worst area of fighting."

"What?!" the man asked moments before he felt a strong kick in his stomach sending him flying towards the wall of a where house, he would have crashed through the where house but was stopped by the same person who kicked him grabbing his collar, stopping him before he made contact.

The man lost consciousness from the kick causing Toushirou to sigh before saying "I'm glad I kept the where house from getting damaged" the new recruits were silent as he lugged the man over "can any of you carry him?"

"Sir" a couple of them replied as they held him up by his shoulders but had to drag him do to his height.

"You all know where squad four clinics are right?" Toushirou asked and they nodded "good, now head over there and get some treatment for your injuries, someone will contact you when you've been assigned another mission, dismissed."

The recruits did as they were told as Toushirou used a shunpo to arrive at the squad nine office building.

"So how'd it go?" Alexander asked as Toushirou entered the office for seats three through seven.

"You know the drill" Toushirou answered as he took a seat next to his desk and began to fill out his report for the mission "recruits enter the squad thinking they're going to be the greatest thing to happen to the soul society since the Bankai release, then after you run them through the green zone they come back beaten up like some anemic who decided to pick a fight with captain Zaraki."

"That happens" Alexander replied lightly "the good news is that it deflates their egos so they're less likely to do something too reckless against some of the tougher hollows."

"I guess" Toushirou replied as he started working on a stack of papers that had been laid out for him "damn we get a lot of paperwork."

"That's the down side to being a seated officer in squad nine I'm afraid" Alexander sighed "Captain Tousen doesn't ask all that much of us so we do have plenty of time, but when it comes to paperwork he can't really protect us too much."

"It's worth it though" Toushirou stated "at least it's not too time consuming."

"When we get a new lieutenant, the paperwork for the seated officers should lighten up a bit" Alexander stated.

"Think you'll get it?" Toushirou asked as he finished another sheet.

"Don't know" Alexander answered.

"You're definitely qualified for it" Toushirou stated.

"I'm glad you think so, but I'm also in bad standings with the Central Forty Six and the majority of the nobility" Alexander replied "you know, Warlock; no the way I see it, it'll probably be you or captain Aizen's third seat Shuuhei Hisagi."

"That guy with the scars and the sixty nine tattoo on his cheek?" Toushirou asked "why is it that almost everyone seems to get their head in the gutter when they see that tattoo anyway?"

"I'm going to let you figure out the tattoo mystery on your own" Alexander answered trying to hide a small chuckle "but yeah you're thinking about the right guy, of course he's been in the squads for the same amount of time as you so it's likely our squad's lieutenant's seat will remain vacant for another few years or so."

"Well regardless of what happens" Toushirou sighed "we're still stuck with the paper work for now."

"Yeah, we are" Alexander chuckled lightly "by the way have you noticed how the captain has been acting lately?"

"He seems anxious about something, I'll admit" Toushirou answered "you think he's got another high-profile mission?"

"There's a real possibility of that" Alexander replied "it's odd though, in the past few years we've seen a huge increase in the need for special missions and investigations, the largest I've seen since the last world war ended about twenty years ago."

"What have these missions entailed exactly?" Toushirou asked as he finished another sheet.

"**Very** strange things" Alexander answered "hollows that can hide their spiritual pressures, hollows that appear to be taking on a more human appearance, increases in the number of hollows that possess some level of rational thinking, mysterious disappearances of both humans and shinigami, and a number of other odd occurrences."

"That's disturbing" Toushirou stated as he started on his last piece "any idea why Stealth Force hasn't found anything, I mean captain Soi Fong always struck me as leading a competent department, even though her lieutenant is an idiot."

"Lieutenant Oomaeda is a fool without a doubt, but this isn't her fault" Alexander replied "historically speaking these sort of events tend to take place over a period of time and they tend to be focused in a small area; but these events have only lasted a number of days at the longest and they've been occurring at multiple locations throughout both the soul society and the world of the living so they haven't gotten the chance to conduct a full on investigation."

"Very troubling" Toushirou replied "any theories on why this happening at all?"

"Nothing official" Alexander answered "but if you ask me, I think someone is carrying out some sort of experiments" Toushirou's eyes widened slightly at the comment "for what purposes I have no idea, but the sooner they're found and dealt with the better."

"What sort of damage have we suffered so far?" Toushirou asked.

"Dozens of shinigami including seated and subordinate officers have wound up either dead or Missing in Action, the most prominent loss so far was about three years ago when captain Ikari of squad ten lost his last lieutenant" Alexander explained.

"Did you say squad ten?" Toushirou asked with a hint of alarm.

"That's right, the very same lieutenant's seat that your friend miss Rangiku Matsumoto just accepted a week or so ago was vacated due to these strange events" Alexander answered "I understand if you're worried about her but she's a lot smarter than she pretends to be."

"Who said I was worried about her?" Toushirou asked as he finished the last sheet.

"Sorry sir, but even without using my demonic eyes, I can tell you're lying through your teeth" Alexander replied with a smile as he finished the last of his paper work.

"_Why you…"_ Toushirou thought before he heard a sound at the door "someone there?"

"Sirs" a nervous voice called as he opened the door "captain Tousen has requested the presence of both fifth seat Dark-Heart and fourth seat Hitsugaya immediately."

"Very well" Toushirou replied as he and Alexander stood up and fastened their Zanpakutou while the man ran off "looks like you were right Alexander."

"You out rank me now" Alexander replied as they headed off to Tousen's office "you can call me Alex."

"I'll keep that in mind" Toushirou stated as he knocked on the captain's door.

"Come in" Kaname's voice called out.

When Toushirou and Alexander entered they saw the door shut behind them and then they noticed several walls of light surround the three shinigami from all sides.

"This must be quite the situation if you're using kidou to sound proof your office as soon as we set foot inside Captain Tousen" Toushirou stated.

"The situation is quite serious and we need to keep everything as quietly as possible" Kaname answered.

"What's going on?" Alexander asked.

"Over the past three days a number of shinigami have been disappearing in the world of the living without a trace" Kaname explained.

"Any reason why we can't just chop this up as a hollow attack?" Toushirou asked.

"They've disappeared far too quickly after their last communications for it to have been a simple hollow attack" Kaname explained "I'm sorry but I don't have any more information for you two."

"Where are we going?" Alexander asked.

"The outskirts of a place called Karakura city in the human nation of Japan" Kaname replied "the senkaimon is ready, you're to head out immediately."

"Sir" the two shinigami saluted before they raced off for the senkaimon.

Kaname stood up after they left and said "that's what you wanted correct?"

"It is" Aizen stated as he appeared in small burst of light "I've already dealt with my own squad, which just leaves your squad nine" Aizen draws his Zanpakutou and chants "Shatter, Kyouka Suigetsu" a large light shot out in all directions "that will leave no one the wiser to your absence tonight."

"Very well" Kaname replied as he fastened his Zanpakutou.

Toushirou and Alexander arrived at their destination after about fifteen minutes after exiting the senkaimon. It was around midnight so they weren't expecting a lot of humans to be walking around but it was quite as a grave. Toushirou noticed the countless run down buildings and sighed as they began searching the vicinity for anything out of the ordinary, their search continued for a couple of hours without them seeing a soul either living or dead.

"I'm beginning to think whatever was here has moved on already" Toushirou stated.

"Damn it" Alexander swore as he scanned another street with his demonic eyes "and I was hoping to beat the hell out of some poor hollow and then strangle it to death with its own intestines."

Toushirou's jaw dropped slightly as he thought _"I've been around this guy for over a year now and I'm still not to his personality shifts…"_ suddenly they both felt a strange spiritual pressure causing Toushirou's eyes to shoot open "Alexander" he said as they stood back to back and drew their Zanpakutou.

"What the hell kind of spiritual pressure is this?" Alexander asked as he started looking around for the spirit energy _"and where the hell is it?!"_

"_No sense in taking chances" _Toushirou thought "Reign over the frosted frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru" his blade was surrounded in ice and a chain and crescent blade appeared out of the bottom.

"_Good instincts"_ Alexander thought as he flipped his white blade upright and said "consume and obliterate, Kokuhyou, Nehan" the swords changed from katana to long swords and their wielder took his stance.

Aizen and Kaname were observing from a nearby alley hidden by Aizen's Kyouka Suigetsu.

"They're well trained Kaname" Aizen stated.

"May we please get this over with?" Kaname asked as he drew his blade.

"I'm sorry go ahead" Aizen stated plainly _"let's see how loyal you are to me."_

Kaname looked at both his subordinates before thinking _"I'm sorry, but this is for the sake of peace and justice"_ the ring on his guard began to spin before he said "Bankai, Suzumushi Tsuishiki Enma koorogi."

Suddenly both Toushirou and Alexander's vision went black and their hearing went silent.

"_What in the hell is going on here?!"_ both Toushirou and Alexander thought mere moments before they felt something metallic slash them across their backs. Their senses returned almost immediately and they each looked to see the other falling to the ground in disbelief.

"This isn't even impossible" Toushirou stated weakly as he dropped his sword and fell to the ground.

"No way I'm dying like this" Alexander stated as he dropped his swords and fell to the ground "no freaking way!!!"

Unknown to the shinigami their captain was walking away from them sheathing his sword _"don't disappoint me"_ Kaname thought as he took his stance next to Aizen to observe the subjects.

"_Now let's see what sort of effects the drug has on the former Frozen Devil and the last Warlock"_ Aizen thought.

Toushirou and Alexander began to scream loudly as their bodies were suddenly filled with extreme pain as if they were going to tear themselves apart. Toushirou began grasping at his chest as he felt a terrible deep chill. Alexander began to bash his head into the ground as he growled dangerously and his forehead began to bleed heavily.

" What is this?!" Toushirou asked in terror _"I feel like something evil's trying to consume me"_ he swore he could've heard a faint voice in the distance as he nearly lost consciousness.

"Damn it Toushirou fight!!!" Alexander hissed as he slammed his skull into the pavement once more.

"_Oh give up already Alex"_ A faint voice echoed.

"_No way in hell"_ Alexander thought _"I swore I wouldn't let her down."_

"_You mean that Elaina girl?"_ the voice asked _"come off it, she's not even you're real daughter you just kept her alive out of pity, or is it __**her**__ you're talking about?"_

"_Go to hell"_ Alexander thought.

"_That's a laugh"_ the voice replied _"after all the terrible things you did when you were alive, all the people you killed, all the suffering your clan endured because of your treachery…you even caused the destruction of your own family and then you carried your misfortune and misery into the soul society when you died, if it hadn't been for you she never would've ended up like that."_

"_SHUT UP" _Alexander shouted in his mind as he slammed his face into the ground again _"get out of my head!!!"_

"_I'm just saying you're the one who should go to Hell"_ the voice echoed in amusement _"and soon all your abilities will be mine, I can't wait."_

"The hell they will, Maximillion" Alexander said weakly as he slammed his head one last time knocking himself out.

"_Thinking I'm that loser eh?"_ the voice echoed weakly _"you'll pay for that!"_

"Alexander?" Toushirou asked before the dark feeling in his chest suddenly felt three times worse.

"_I can feel your heat, Toushirou"_ a dark voice called out in his mind _"it's so close, I can't wait to crush it!!!"_

"Who the hell are you?" Toushirou breathed as his vision starting going black, he didn't know if it was from the back injury or the pain near his heart but he was losing it.

"_Oh you should know who I am" _the voice replied in amusement.

"Well I don't, and I think I'd like to keep it that way!" Toushirou hissed just before he conked out.

A couple of hours passed as Toushirou and Alexander lay there unconscious twitching uncontrollably and occasionally roaring so loudly that anyone who could sense spirits could hear them. Eventually Kaname and Aizen made their way to the two shinigami, Aizen looked them over with the upmost interest as Kaname stood a few feet away.

"What do you think?" Kaname asked "the others all died and disappeared a few minutes after the introduction of the virus…do you think they could be a break through?"

"Hard to say" Aizen stated calmly as he stood back up "they're both clearly resisting but it looks like it's only a matter of time before they're gone like the others, and if they do survive it's not likely to have the effects that I had hoped for."

"So we leave them?" Kaname asked solemnly.

"Yes, we really must return" Aizen stated as he began to walk off towards a secret senkaimon "my Kyouka Suigetsu will have provided us with the necessary cover for last night, but it's best for us to return to our squads before we make our next move."

"I see" Kaname replied as he followed him "what a shame."

As morning cracked the two shinigami finally woke up and found themselves surrounded by several people in what appeared to be a rocky field but upon closer inspection turned out to be an extremely large room without windows. Though they both felt as if they had just been run over by a steam roller they managed to prop themselves up and found their Zanpakutou lying next to them. Moments later they realized that were surrounded by several people dressed in the oddest assortment of garments the two had ever laid eyes on. At first they didn't know what to think of them until their leader approached them and introduced himself as their leader and assured them that they weren't planning to kill them, the man explained how they found them lying the on the street the previous night. After they had some breakfast the strange people explained how they had been infected by a special type of virus and that they'd needed to stay with them for a few days for some **special **training in order to deal with the **side effects**.

Five days had past and the so called **training **had left the two men beaten and bruised over almost every inch of their bodies and their robes were virtually torn to pieces but they had finally passed their training sessions. The two were washing up and cleaning their wounds when they met up again.

"How the hell did we get in this situation again?" Toushirou asked with a sigh as he tried to was some dirt off his face but winced when he rubbed a rather large bruise on his cheek.

"You and I appear to be destined to suffer unusual hands of fate" Alexander stated.

"Is there anything you can do so this stays between us?" Toushirou asked.

"There is but…there will be drawbacks" Alexander answered and Toushirou met his gaze curiously "I can hide the **changes **to both our bodies and our spiritual pressures with a special seal, but we won't be able to take advantages of the **benefits** we've gained without breaking the seal…in other words…"

"We won't be able to use our full power without exposing ourselves" Toushirou finished for him.

"That's correct" Alexander stated simply as he tried to clean his arm but felt a strong sting on a large cut "but I'm afraid it's the only way for you and me to return to the seireitei."

"I see" Toushirou sighed "I guess it can't be helped."

"You're planning to return?" A voice called from behind them causing them to turn towards the leader of their unusual hosts "you know what will happen if you're found out don't you?"

"We'll be killed, I imagine" Toushirou answered.

"I see you don't harbor any illusions of the Central Forty Six being a center for tolerance and understanding" Their leader stated "but still even with this little seal of this **odd** friend of yours it'll be dangerous."

"We both have ambitions" Alexander replied "and we can't pursue them if we desert the soul society."

"You know you could still join us" the leader offered.

"We're grateful for your help, but I need to return to the squads…besides I don't join people who won't even tell me who they are and what they're trying to do" Toushirou stated.

"Not the most trusting type, are you?" their leader asked cynically "that's a smart way to be" he gave them a disturbing smile "well I guess I can't stop you two, I'll talk to the others, just promise me you'll be careful."

"Thank you for helping us" Alexander stated as he extended his hand to their rather odd host.

"Sheesh I'm not really a man for formalities" he replied as he shook his hand "anyway when you're done with this little seal or whatever I suggest you head back to where you disappeared, there's a team of shinigami investigating and they should take you back home."

"Thank you" Toushirou replied.

About thirty minutes later Toushirou and Alexander were leaving the hideout covered in bruises and cuts, they were both breathing heavily from the stress of the seal that Alexander had placed on them, thankfully for them the markings from the seal disappeared and their spiritual pressures were completely back to normal, or at least they appeared to be.

"Are you sure you want to let them leave" a man asked his leader "if they're found out we could be in serious trouble."

"They're not stupid" his leader responded "besides…" the first man looked at him in curiosity "…they could at least prove problematic for Aizen and his bastard friends."

"I hope you're right" the first man stated as they watched the shinigami walk off "anyway we're all set to move to another hide out."

"And that spiritual pressure we came here to investigate?" the leader asked.

"No sign, I think he only stayed long enough to draw us to this town" he answered "anyway we need to go."

"Agreed" the leader replied _"be careful you two, it'd be a shame if you died because of Aizen's schemes."_

Rangiku had recently arrived with her team to investigate the recent disappearance of two squad nine officers, so far their search had turned up dry and all they had found were a few insignificant hollows, but on the bright side no one had mysteriously disappeared. It was getting close to noon when her team reassembled in the ally where the shinigami had disappeared.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto" The shinigami reported in "no signs so far of Captain Tousen's men."

"Damn it" Rangiku swore before she looked to her side and said "you know you don't have to hide yourself Momo."

At her words Momo appeared from the shadows and said "I'm sorry but I am technically breaking the law."

"Don't worry about it with me" Rangiku stated "I know Elaina would be here if Kaien Shiba hadn't bogged her down so deep she couldn't sneak away."

"I see" Momo replied "but we still haven't found them…you don't think…"

Suddenly they heard the loud roars as dozens of hollows appeared in sky and began to rush towards the shinigami.

Rangiku frowned in annoyance as she drew her blade and shouted "WE DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR YOU!!!"

As if to please her, a large ice dragon and several bolts of lightning lit up the sky and destroyed half the hollows. Rangiku, Momo, and the others all looked to the side to see their missing shinigami floating in the air covered in injuries, wearing torn uniforms, and breathing heavily. Toushirou had his blade drawn and Alexander's fingertips were literally smoking from the kidou spells he had just used.

"I think that should let them know where we are" Toushirou stated as he suddenly saw Rangiku appear in front of him _"I'll be damned."_

The other hollows began to charge towards the three shinigami when Rangiku shouted "Roar Haineko!!!" the blade of her Zanpakutou turned to ash and shredded the hollows mid way.

"The hell is that?" Toushirou asked.

"That's my Zanpakutou's power" Rangiku stated "my blade turns to ash and surrounds my opponents before shredding them to pieces, not as flashy as yours but it works."

Suddenly another hollow appeared behind them and lunged towards Alexander and Toushirou, they heard a voice shout "Snap Tobiume!!!" suddenly a large fireball eviscerated the hollow before it disappeared moments later Momo was flying towards them holding her sword which had several rods sticking out at random intervals."

"So the bed wetter has finally earned her shikai" Toushirou chuckled lightly.

"Shut up" Momo half shouted with a blush.

"Wait a minute what the hell are you doing here Momo?" Toushirou asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Rangiku replied "she came here to look for you, she even snuck away from her own squad."

"_So I haven't been completely pushed aside by Captain Aizen eh?"_ Toushirou thought in amusement.

"More importantly, what the hell happened to you two?" Rangiku asked.

"Why'd you go missing Toushirou?" Momo asked as they came in for a landing with the rest of the team on the streets.

"Have there been any more disappearances?" Alexander asked as he and Toushirou nearly fumbled to the ground but were supported by a pair of Rangiku's soldiers.

"No, after you two vanished everything quieted down" Rangiku answered.

"Good then we got them all hopefully" Toushirou sighed _"I hope this fake story of yours works Alex."_

"All of what?" Momo asked as she looked over Toushirou's wounds "what happened."

"We were ambushed" Toushirou panted "by a large group of hollows that could hide their spiritual pressure."

"Why didn't you call for back up?" Rangiku asked.

"Too many of them" Alexander answered "eventually we led them out into the wilderness just outside of town so no humans would get hurt, we won…but not without being injured."

"Our injuries were too serious for us to move long distances and our communicators had been destroyed in our fight" Toushirou added "so we had no choice but to lay low and use the healing power of Alex's Zanpakutou to heal us to the point where we could move again."

"Why'd this take so long?" Momo asked as Toushirou fainted.

"_Looks like the seal's catching up with him, if we're lucky we'll never be forced to break it"_ Alexander thought before saying "I'm sorry miss Hinamori but I'm afraid the healing powers of my Zanpakutou leave quite a bit to be desired" he then lost consciousness as well.

"Toushirou?!" Momo stated as Rangiku put a hand on her shoulder.

"Easy now, they've just lost consciousness" Rangiku stated "just be thankful they're alive…" she then turns to her team "…our mission is complete, now let's head back and get these guys over to squad four for treatment."

"Ma'am" they replied in understanding as they made their way for the gate.

When Toushirou and Alexander woke up they found themselves lying in a pair of soft beds in the middle of one of squad four's rooms wearing the standard hospital robes. They examined themselves to find a large portion of their bodies wrapped in bandages, on the plus side a most of the pain they both had been experiencing had died down.

"Good so you're both awake" Retsu said gently as she entered the room "you two gave my subordinates a good work out."

"Sorry about that Captain Unohana" Alexander sighed weakly "we really weren't planning on giving you any trouble."

"It's all right, what's important is that you're both alright" Retsu replied "Captain Tousen was very happy to hear that you both came back alive."

"How long were we gone?" Toushirou asked.

"After you left for your mission, you disappeared for six days before Lieutenant Matsumoto's unit discovered you and brought you here" Retsu explained "and case your wondering, you were both unconscious for about sixteen hours."

"Quite the ride" Alexander chuckled softly.

"So how are our injuries looking Captain Unohana?" Toushirou asked hoping he'd be out soon _"at least our fake story worked."_

"You're both still pretty banged up, both your bodies are covered in cuts and bruises, you both have several cracked bones, and you're both suffering from the effects of continually using your spirit energy" Retsu answered "we've done all we can as far as treatment is concerned but you'll both need to stay here for at least a couple of days before we can let you go."

"Oh well it could be worse" Alex sighed.

"By the way, you both have some visitors, I've asked them to keep it brief" Retsu stated as she headed for the door "they've been worried sick about you so let them know your all okay."

"Yes ma'am" they said in understanding as Rangiku, Momo, Elaina, and a man and woman Toushirou didn't recognize.

"How are you feeling Toushirou?" Momo asked as she looked at him nervously.

"I've been better" Toushirou sighed "but I'm breathing."

"See I told you he'd be fine" Rangiku stated happily as she head locked Toushirou causing his face to turn red as he tried to force her off of him and Momo made a concerned expression.

"Um Lieutenant Matsumoto, I believe you're choking the poor boy" the woman stated pleasantly.

"Um?" Rangiku stated as she looked to her side and noticed the struggling child before she let go "I guess you were right Miyako."

"Damn crazy woman" Toushirou breathed as he felt his lungs fill back up with air "thanks, who are you, if I may ask."

"Oh that's right we haven't met, I'm Miyako Shiba, I'm the third seat of squad thirteen, and this is my husband Kaien Shiba" Miyako introduced them politely.

"We promised Elaina we'd come along as soon as her dad was found, and I wasn't in the mood to make a liar out of myself" Kaien explained lightly.

Toushirou turned to see Elaina holding Alexander by the collar of his robes and she was crying slightly as she asked "why in the hell did you go and disappear like that?!"

"Now, now Elaina" Miyako said calmly as she placed a hand on her shoulder "it wasn't his intent to be stranded in the woods like that for a week, but I'm afraid these things happen."

"She's right, it's an occupational hazard I'm afraid" Kaien stated "but he'll be fine, providing you don't force Captain Unohana to extend his stay."

Elaina let Alexander go, moments later he said "I'm sorry for worrying you Elaina."

Elaina was silent for several seconds before she said "just don't make a habit out of this."

"Wouldn't even consider it" Alexander stated with a smile which seemed to calm Elaina down "So how has Captain Ukitake's condition been?"

"I'm afraid he's had another outbreak" Kaien answered "he was released a couple of days ago but he's still bed ridden to his quarters for the time being."

"That's a shame, it couldn't have happened to a nicer man" Alexander stated.

"What's wrong with Captain Ukitake?" Toushirou asked earning him a puzzled look from the squad thirteen officers "I'm sorry I've only been with the squads for a little over a year and I usually don't see any of the other captains except for Aizen and Komamura."

"Oh, well you see Captain Ukitake has a strange illness that renders his body incredibly weak whenever he has an outbreak; he's often taken out of action for weeks on end during these outbreaks, thankfully it's not contagious, but it is heartbreaking to watch it's effects on such a nice man" Miyako explained causing Toushirou to go silent.

"Well that's enough depressing talk for one day" Kaien stated "since he's out that means I have a squad to run, Miyako, Elaina, you ready?"

"Whenever you are" Miyako said with a smile.

"You **are** alright, right dad?" Elaina asked.

"Yeah, I'll manage" Alexander stated causing Elaina to crack a small smile as she followed her superiors out the door _"I'll let you in on the truth later Elaina, I promise."_

Toushirou turned to Momo and asked "so are you in any trouble for sneaking off to the world of the living?"

"No" Momo said happily "captain Aizen let me off the hook, he only made me promise I would tell him before doing it again so he can rest easier…I swear he's just wonderful."

"_Talk about being infatuated"_ Toushirou thought in annoyance "I'm glad to hear it."

"Yeah, listen Toushirou" Momo replied "please try to be careful, I've got a mission in the morning so I have to go" Momo then left the room to head back to her squad.

"It's fourth seat Hitsugaya, damn it" Toushirou shouted after her in annoyance.

"Well guys get better soon so we can go out and get wasted on sake" Rangiku said happily.

"You mean that **you'll** get wasted and we'll have to clean up your mess!" Toushirou said in annoyance "you know we don't drink."

"Yeah I guess you could put it that way" Rangiku stated before she looked at Alexander curiously and asked "why don't you drink?"

"Warlock's code, Alcohol is prohibited because if one of my clan gets drunk we may horribly disfigure someone unintentionally to the point where we can't reverse it" Alexander explained "trust me, it's for everyone's good."

"Wow, I feel sorry for you" Rangiku stated.

"What is taking you so long Rangiku?" a voice called from the door way as it entered.

The owner was a man who appeared to be in his mid to late twenties who was about six feet tall, with long black hair which he wore in a ponytail, he had dark brown eyes, and a very cold expression across his face. He wore a long sleeved captain's haori with the kanji for ten on the back along with the standard shinigami uniform.

"Captain Ikari" Rangiku stated simply with a slight hint of fear in her voice.

"_So this is the infamous captain of squad ten…Gojou Ikari"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he eyed the man _"I can tell he's the kind of guy I __**don't**__ get along with."_

"I thought you were just paying a short visit to your friend" Gojou said coldly "why is it taking you so long?!"

"My apologies captain" Rangiku stated "I'll return immediately."

"Good" Gojou stated as she raced out the door and he turned to the patients and said "I advise you both not to interfere with the operation of my squad" before he walked away.

"What an ass" Toushirou stated after he left.

"A decidedly not so pleasant man" Alexander concurred.

"What the hell is his problem anyway?" Toushirou asked.

"He's one of those people who think that people born into high nobility are inherently better than people born in the world of the living or from Rukongai like you and me, and since he's from a noble family that's only one notch below the four great noble families on the social food chain he's pretty full of himself" Alexander explained "he's not too popular which is why I think he picked miss Matsumoto as his lieutenant, he needed someone who's guts most people don't hate for him to effectively run his squad."

"You'd think that would give him some humility" Toushirou stated as he rolled his eyes.

"He doesn't think too highly of most other people, that's for certain" Kaname's voice replied causing his subordinates to turn to him in shock.

"_What is this, a hospital room or a picnic?!"_ Toushirou thought to himself before he said "Captain, sorry about what we said."

"Don't worry about it" Kaname replied "I just wanted to make sure you're both alright."

"Captain Unohana says we could be released in a couple of days" Toushirou replied.

"I see" Kaname replied "why don't you both take a few days off after you're released, you could use a little piece and solitude."

"Thank you captain" Toushirou replied.

"Don't mention it, I'm sorry for putting you two in that situation" Kaname said as he walked out the door _"this is odd, I need to talk to Lord Aizen."_

"Looks like it's all alright" Toushirou sighed in relief "I'm going to get some sleep, Alex."

"Good night" Alexander stated as placed his palm on his forehead _"Before we collapsed on the streets our senses of sight, smell, hear, and our ability to sense spiritual pressures disappeared for a couple of moments…and then we were both cut, but it wasn't like a fang or a claw, it was something metallic…" he places his hand on his back where he had been cut "…the spirit energy has faded and I can tell I've never been stricken by it before…however it's familiar, I can't say for certain but I think I've met its owner a few times..."_

"So Kaname, did you notice any changes in either of them?" Aizen asked.

"No they're spiritual pressures are both the same as they were before they left" Kaname answered.

"I see" Aizen stated "I suspect that the Warlock may have taken some steps to hide any sort of changes, unfortunately there are no detailed records into what his kind are capable of, and to make matters worse…"

"…Asking him about such abilities would make him suspicious of us" Kaname finished.

"I'm afraid he may be already" Aizen replied.

"Are you certain?" Kaname asked.

"Yes, during your visit he had his eyes glued to your Zanpakutou" Aizen answered.

"You think he knows?" Kaname asked.

"No, judging from his personality, if he knew he would've tried to slit your throat" Aizen stated "in either case I'm afraid both of them are too dangerous to keep in our squads."

"You want me to kill them?" Kaname replied.

"No, they've both proven to be hard to kill, and I'm certain any more unusual attempts on their lives will make them suspect you even further" Aizen answered "I want you to transfer them into another squad as soon as possible, they may prove useful in the future."

"Understood" Kaname stated "are we going to move forward with the cover up plan?"

"Not yet" Aizen replied "I want to carry out one more experiment before we go underground with our **planning**."

"What experiment are you talking about?" Kaname asked.

"A hollow that can destroy a Zanpakutou with a touch and merge with a shinigami" Aizen answered "I think I'll test it on squad thirteen's third seat and then we can begin discussions about making all this suspicion about these mysteries blow over."

"Understood" Kaname replied "when will the hollow be ready for testing?"

"In about nine months" Aizen answered.

Two days later Toushirou and Alexander were released from squad four and decided to spend their free time on Bankai training, Alexander headed to a quite meadow outside of Rukongai while Toushirou went to a barren section of the Seireitei.

Alexander drew his blades and said "okay both of you get out here, I plan to really push this training today!!!"

Both his Zanpakutou materialized in front of him.

"This should be fun" Kokuhyou stated with her signature demonic grin.

"Why are you in such a rush Alexander?" Nehan asked.

"Because…" Alexander sighed with a defeated expression as the sky changed and filled with swords "…I fear that my captain may be a traitor, and if I'm right I'll need more power to face him."

"So you're putting a rush on your Bankai training" Nehan stated "I understand."

"Whatever translates to me getting to kick your ass more often is fine by me" Kokuhyou said happily.

"I'm not just going to let you do that" Alexander replied before he grabbed a pair of swords with hooked tips _"Captain Tousen, please don't turn into another Maximillion…"_ he leapt forward and swung his right blade down on Kokuhyou who blocked it with her own _"…when we met you told me that you've dedicated your existence to the pursuit of justice…" _he then_ blocked _ an attack by Nehan with his left blade _"…the symbol of squad nine is the White Poppy which represents Oblivion…"_ suddenly both blades shattered and he leapt away before he grabbed a pair of black and white cutlasses before blocking both his Zanpakutou again_"…it's fitting for a man like you, because if you take even a single misstep on the path of justice you'll find yourself on the road of carnage and destruction which can only lead to Oblivion…"_ the cutlasses broke under the strain and Kokuhyou landed a strike to his shoulder, he immediately felt the effects as his entire body felt as if it were suddenly set ablaze.

"You need to focus jackass" Kokuhyou stated.

"Please Alexander" Nehan half begged "you need to stay focused or you will never find the **blade** that can slay us."

"And even if you do find the **blade**, you have to remember, that with two of us it'll likely take you even longer to master the release" Kokuhyou said bluntly.

"_The __**blade**__?!" _Alexander thought as he pressed his shoulder and scanned the countless blades until he found what he was looking forward.

Alexander grabbed the blade and swung it in front of his body and blocked both Kokuhyou and Nehan's stabbing motions, this time the blade didn't shattered.

"So you finally found it" Kokuhyou stated "so now we get to the really fun part."

Suddenly both manifestations used enough pressure to throw Alexander several yards away.

"But you still need to overpower us to obtain the Bankai release" Nehan added.

"For some odd reason, I'm not surprised" Alexander stated as he lifted the blade and rushed towards Kokuhyou and Nehan _"Please prove me wrong Captain Tousen."_

-Nine months later in the ghost town section of the Seireitei-

Toushirou eyed the great ice-dragon with determination as he watched one of its legs crash on the ground and kick up a large amount of dirt, Toushirou was covered in dirt and a number of small scrapes. Toushirou held his blade and began to swing the crescent blade as he fought back a grin.

"You'll pay for that boy" Hyourinmaru hissed menacingly.

"We'll see about that" Toushirou said as he threw the crescent blade and it wrapped around the dragon's other arm.

Hyourinmaru pulled violently the moment he felt the chain tighten around his arm, but Toushirou didn't let go. Seeing the boy fly towards him he immediately opened his mouth and sent a solid replica of himself towards him. Toushirou grinned as he intercepted the dragon with his blade, Hyourinmaru watched in shock as the dragon seemed to be swallowed up by Toushirou's spiritual pressure before he made it to the dragon's face and swung his sword down.

"I win" Toushirou stated as the dragon burst into a mass of snow and ice and surrounded Toushirou as he landed on the ground, moments later the snow disappeared, Toushirou looked over himself and his new power before he put on a disappointed expression and asked "what the hell?"

"_It would seem I have some explaining to do" _Hyourinmaru's voice echoed.

"I'm listening" Toushirou stated in annoyance, moments later Toushirou yelled "WHAT?!" at the top of his lungs.

"_Sorry kid, but thems the breaks"_ Hyourinmaru replied.

"Damn" Toushirou swore _"one more problem I didn't need."  
_

When Toushirou returned to the office he saw his captain talking to a fragile looking man with long snow white hair who was wearing a long sleeve haori with the kanji for thirteen on the back.

"Toushirou, we've been waiting for you" Kaname stated.

"What's going on?" Toushirou asked.

"I'm afraid there's been an incident" Kaname answered.

"What happened?" Toushirou asked in concern.

"A hollow with the power to fuse with shinigami killed both my third seat and my lieutenant" the white haired captain replied the sadness was evident in his voice.

"Wait a minute you mean the Shibas?" Toushirou asked in shock.

"Yes, I'm afraid so" he replied "but let me introduce myself, I'm the captain of squad thirteen, Jyuushiro Ukitake" he extended his hand to the younger man who shook it immediately "to make matters worse, this incident has left most of my other officers devastated and my health isn't exactly ideal at the moment so my squad's been thrown into perpetual chaos."

"I'm sorry to hear that sir" Toushirou replied with a solemn tone.

"This situation is critical" Kaname stated "which is why I recommended that you be promoted as Squad Thirteen's new third seat."

"Sir?" Toushirou asked in surprise.

"You've only been here for about two years and yet you managed to become one of best officers I've ever had under my command, if anyone can help captain Ukitake, it's you" Kaname answered.

"But I must warn you" Jyuushiro stated seriously "we're without a lieutenant right now and as you've probably heard I'm not in the best of health so you'll likely have to handle a captain's level of responsibility at times."

Toushirou was silent for several seconds before he looked the older man in the eyes and said "I'll do my best."

"I look forward to working with you" Jyuushiro replied "meet me tomorrow at the squad thirteen main office and I'll introduce you to your new squad, rest up it's going to be a big day" he then headed towards his office.

"It's been an honor to be your captain" Kaname stated as he held his hand out to Toushirou.

"Thank you sir" Toushirou replied as he shook his former Captain's hand.

Author's notes: And that's six chapters down, and an unknown number more to go. I'd like to say that the next chapter will be up soon but I have a research paper due next week so I've got to prioritize, hopefully it'll be out soon after next Friday. Until then please leave a review and take care of yourselves.

**Character Profile: Gojou Ikari**

Appearance: about six feet tall with long black hair tied into a pony tail and dark brown eyes.

Rank: Captain of Squad Ten

Information: Gojou Ikari is the head of the Ikari clan which is a high ranking noble family second only to the four great noble households in terms of status and wealth. Gojou believes strongly that people of noble heritage are superior to people born in the world of the living and Rukongai, as you probably suspect he has a difficult time talking to other people without making them want to run him through in his sleep; to deal with this he appointed Rangiku as his Lieutenant in order to use her social skills to keep his squad from revolting against him. Gojou only shows respect for Byakuya Kuchki since he's the only one from higher nobility than him and he often grumbles incoherently after receiving orders from the head-captain.


	7. Hope

Author's notes: sorry this took so long, that damn research paper took up more time than I thought and then there was a hell of a lot of homework. Anyway I know my last chapter wasn't quite as interesting or as action packed as the others but there are some points I want you to remember from it.

Aizen and Kaname used Toushirou and Alexander for a little experiment of theirs causing them both to collapse when Kaname used his Bankai to infect them both with a Virus.

A group of odd people found them and took them into hiding in order to help them.

The virus had caused their spiritual pressures to change and it became necessary for Alexander to use a special seal to hide said changes in order to avoid being killed.

The leader of the odd group decided to let them go in the hopes that they'd be problematic for Aizen.

Said group had been lured to the area by someone's spiritual pressure but when they arrived he had left and they found Toushirou and Alexander.

Toushirou achieved the Bankai release but something about it has him a little upset

Alexander as increased the amount of time he spends on his Bankai training because he's suspicious of Kaname.

Enjoy and please don't forget to review.

**Ch. 7 Hope**

Toushirou was filled with both a sense of excitement and nervousness at the thought of his new position and his new squad as he made grabbed the last of his belongings and prepared to leave the office building.

"So you're a third seat now" Alexander stated with a grin "which means you're one step closer to your goal of head captain."

"And you've been promoted as well" Toushirou replied lightly "congratulations squad nine fourth seat Alexander Dark-Heart."

"Thanks" Alexander stated as he extended his hand "good luck, with Elaina for a subordinate you'll probably need it."

"I take it she's a handful" Toushirou sighed as he shook his friend's hand and felt something cold in his hand "What is this?"

"I'm sure you and Elaina will get along just fine" Alexander answered "as for the crystal, do you remember the one I gave you that night I performed the Konsa-chi?

"The one that showed me my uh…**troubled past**?" Toushirou asked.

"That's right" Alexander stated "but this one was created from a combination of my own memories and the memories I gained access to after I obtained Nehan."

"You're telling me this crystal has your life story stored on it?!" Toushirou asked.

"And my after-life story up to about twenty years ago" Alexander answered "when you want to see what's on this make sure you're somewhere peaceful and that you have at least six hours of free time because it's a long story."

Toushirou placed the crystal in a pouch in his bag and asked "why are you giving me this?"

"Because I feel you could learn a few things from what's on that crystal" Alexander stated "and besides I know you've wanted to know about what happened to my clan and how I'm able to wield two distinct Zanpakutou for a while."

"Thank you" Toushirou replied

"You're welcome, and take care of yourself" Alexander stated as Toushirou headed off to meet with his new squad _"so Toushirou has been transferred into squad thirteen…he's gone from the working under the White Poppy that represents Oblivion to fighting for the Summer Snowflake which represents hope…"_ Alexander begins to walk towards his desk to deal with his paperwork _"…which is what we may need if Captain Tousen is truly up to something, if he is I doubt he's working alone and your strength will likely become crucial to the Seireitei's future…until that happens however I'll stay close to Captain Tousen and see if he does anything suspicious; as for Elaina I'm grateful that she's in squad thirteen with you and Captain Ukitake, so I at least don't have to worry for her safety."_

Toushirou arrived in the squad thirteen courtyard about ten minutes after departing from the squad nine office building, he was early and the sun was just barely rising but he felt a strong sense of sadness and depression in the air as he walked around to familiarize himself with his new section of the city. After dropping off his luggage in his new quarters he made his way to the Captain's room and knocked on the door.

"It's open" Ukitake said pleasantly from the other side and Toushirou entered "my, you're rather early."

"I read the report on what happened" Toushirou replied "I decided it'd be better for me to get here as soon as possible sir."

Ukitake smiled gently as he stood up from his desk and said "I'm glad you're so eager to get to work, why don't we get a cup of tea before I introduce you to your new comrades and you can ask me any questions you may have."

"Thank you sir" Toushirou responded as followed his new captain to a small deck on a pond filled with koi fish.

"What do you know of our squad's chain of command so far?" Ukitake asked pleasantly as they took their seats and picked up their cups of tea.

"Based on the files I read last night and what I've heard from a few conversations I overheard, with the deaths of the Shibas I'm now the second highest ranking officer in this squad; Elaina Dark-Heart is our squad's sixth seat, our fifth seat is a veteran with over seventy years of experience under his belt, and this is strange but it's my understanding that we have **two **fourth seats?" Toushirou stated as he raised his eyebrow.

"Yes that's right" Ukitake chuckled lightly "Kiyone Koutestu and Sentarou Kotsubaki are our squad's two fourth seats."

"With all due respect doesn't that create confusion and chaos sir?" Toushirou asked.

"You would think" Ukitake sighed as he took a sip from his cup "but somehow or another it all works out."

"This should be interesting" Toushirou stated as he took a sip from his cup and tasted what had to be the best tea he had ever had "wait a minute you said one of them was named Koutestu, where have I heard that name before?"

"She's the younger sister of the lieutenant of squad four" Ukitake replied with a small smile "Well did you have any other questions?"

"Just one sir" Toushirou answered "I read the report about what happened to the Shibas, it's my understanding that Lieutenant was run through by one of our subordinates when he was taken over by the hollow by the name of Rukia Kuchki."

"That's correct" Ukitake stated.

"Is she alright?" Toushirou asked "I mean the last thing I think anyone wants is for us to have one of the four great noble families angry at us."

"She's currently suffering from emotional distress" Ukitake answered "but then again we all are, but she in particular feels responsible for what happened; Kaien and Miyako were both valued members of this squad and we all mourn their loss" Ukitake took a last sip from his cup "however I feel that we must bear our sadness as we move forward, for their sakes as well."

"But what about the risk of the Kuchki family…" Toushirou began but was silenced when Ukitake raised his hand and smiled lightly.

"Trust me" Ukitake stated "I know captain Kuchki doesn't come across as the most caring or the most understanding kind of person but deep down he's a very good man and he has no intention of turning his house against our squad; that's not to say we shouldn't try to help Rukia through her pain, after all she is a comrade and we're honor bound to help one another during these difficult times."

"Understood sir" Toushirou replied as he finished his tea.

Ukitake looked to the clear skies and saw the sun rising slowly in the distance as he finished his tea "if the weather's an indicator I feel we'll recover in no time" he stood up and stretched his arms before saying "anyway, you ready to meet your new squad mates?"

"Yes sir" Toushirou stated as he stood up and followed his new captain _"seems to be just as good a man as the rumors indicated."_

They made their way to the courtyard after about five minutes of walking to find it filled with shinigami. There were over two dozen standing in the grass field and four sitting on the wooden deck in front of the squad conference building; he immediately recognized Elaina sitting on one end of the deck with a very serious expression as she was talking with a girl with short blonde hair who was wearing white gloves and a strange cloth from her collar, on the other side he saw a man who appeared to be in his forties or so conversing with a man with a strange hair-due which he held up with a head band and his expression practically screamed that he was drunk.

"Everyone, thank you for being here so early" Ukitake stated as he and Toushirou made his their way to the center of the chatting officers on the deck and they immediately turned to face them "I'm sure you've all been made aware of the tragedy that's befallen our dear comrades Miyako and Kaien Shiba."

"Sir" they replied solemnly, Toushirou noticed that Elaina had a surprisingly sorrowful look on her face.

"While they both will be missed and mourned for the rest of our existences we must not lose sight of what they would want us to do now" Ukitake said solemnly "they would not want us to allow ourselves to give in to despair, what they would want is for all of us as the Captain, the seated officers, and the unit leaders of the Thirteenth court guard squad to rise to this challenge and lead this squad through a time of healing and inevitably to a better and stronger squad" Ukitake then gestured Toushirou forward "which why I've brought this young man into our squad to be our new third seat after the recommendation of Squad Nine's Kaname Tousen; and I expect you to do everything in your power to help third seat Hitsugaya, help us."

"Yes sir" the officers said as they saluted and the seated officers stood up.

"_Damn…he's got their respect"_ Toushirou thought just before he felt a strange spiritual pressure.

"Captain I don't mean to steal the floor, but did you feel that?" Elaina asked in concern.

"I noticed she was missing" Ukitake sighed "she's really is a mess right now."

"Whose spiritual pressure is this?" Toushirou asked as he traced it back to the squad thirteen training grounds a couple of miles away.

"Rukia Kuchki's" Elaina answered "if we can feel it from this far away she must have released her zanpakutou and judging by the fluctuations of spirit energy I'm sensing she must be quite unstable."

"Obviously we can't leave her as is" Ukitake took a commanding tone "third seat Hitsugaya, sixth seat Dark-Heart, I want you both to go and try to calm her down, I'm afraid she might not be in the mood to talk to me after what happened."

"Sir" The two shinigami replied as they disappeared with a shunpo.

"Those two don't mess around" Kiyone said plainly.

"They must be talented unlike you" Sentarou added.

A vein appeared on Kiyone's forehead before she growled "quit your yapping, idiot" and pinned his head to the deck which went ignored as the other officers looked in the direction of their two comrades.

"Sir do you think they can handle it?" the fifth seat asked Ukitake "I mean third seat Hitsugaya literally just joined us and sixth seat Dark-Heart isn't exactly the most soft spoken woman in the Seireitei, not to mention the fact that Kuchki's zanpakutou can be about as subtle as a rhino in a china shop."

"That's the thing about being a captain" Ukitake sighed to his subordinate's confusion "sometimes you've got to have faith as Shunsui puts it."

"What can her zanpakutou do?" Toushirou asked as he and Elaina neared the training grounds.

"As you've probably noticed, her zanpakutou is an ice type like yours by the name of Sode No Shirayuki" Elaina answered "so far she's discovered two special attacks; the first one will freeze the ground around where it's cast in about a five meter radius and anything on the ground or in the air above that area, and the second one freezes everything in front of her."

"Great" Toushirou sighed as they entered the training grounds to find them covered in ice despite the fact that it was currently May in the Soul Society and about fifty yards away he could see the panting form of a woman about a foot taller than him holding a pure white sword with a ribbon attached to the base of the handle _"at least it doesn't seem to be at the same level as Hyourinmaru."_

Elaina watched as Rukia lifted her blade and swung it down sending ice racing forward until it stopped on wall "Hey Kuchki, your late for the squad meeting, put your sword away and get your ass down to the courtyard" Elaina shouted.

Toushirou watched as Rukia turned towards them, her face was covered in bruises and her kimono was wet from the ice and snow that had melted on her, but what he found most disturbing were her eyes which completely cold and emotionless and her expressionless face as turned back to what she was doing before "damn she's a real mess" Toushirou stated.

"That's putting it mildly" Elaina replied as she drew her Zanpakutou "looks like we're going to need to use a more **foreword** approach, otherwise she'll literally train herself to death."

Toushirou turned to Rukia to see that she wasn't stopping and he see that her breathing was getting heavier and her spirit energy was dropping quickly before he said "I'm afraid you're right" and drew his sword.

"She may turn on us when we get too close" Elaina stated as she and Toushirou began to walk towards her "can you do anything about any ice without unleashing a dragon on her?"

"I should be able to block her attacks with just my sealed sword as long as I use enough spirit energy" Toushirou answered "what about you, I hope you won't need to release your sword for this."

Elaina chuckled before saying "please third seat Hitsugaya, if I used my shikai on her, I'd probably break every bone in her body."

"Good to know" Toushirou said plainly as Rukia turned towards them.

"Second dance: Hakuren" Rukia muttered sending a rush of ice towards her fellow shinigami.

Toushirou focused some of his spirit energy into his blade as he leapt towards the incoming ice and stopped it with a horizontal swing, moments later it shattered. Rukia showed no emotion as the snow cleared revealing Toushirou standing alone, almost immediately she swung the blade of her sword to the side and hit the back of Elaina's blade.

"My, my, your reflexes have improved dramatically Kuchki" Elaina said lightly "judging by how solid your blade has become, I don't think I can cut through it by flipping mine anymore."

Rukia showed no reaction as she leapt back and chanted "First dance: Tsukishiro."

Toushirou watched as the ground beneath Elaina froze over and moments later ice shot up from the spot. He was about to rush Rukia with a shunpo when he saw Elaina appear out of nowhere right in front of her.

"Sorry Rukia, but you're not on my level quite yet" Elaina said with a smirk as she grabbed Rukia's right wrist with her left hand, preventing her from swinging her blade, and then slammed her right knee into Rukia's stomach knocking her unconscious, Elaina held her up with both hands to keep her from falling to the ground.

"_She's fast"_ Toushirou though to himself as the ice covering the ground and the walls quickly melted _"just like Alexander, she truly is formidable."_

"Well that was fun" Elaina stated as she laid Rukia down on the tile "nice work on intercepting that attack, you've really improved from that day when I kicked your ass without even drawing my sword."

"Watch it" Toushirou hissed "that wasn't an all out fight and your dad stopped us from really going at it because of the Bankai training."

"Good times" Elaina chuckled as she began to check on Rukia's condition.

"How is she?" Toushirou asked.

"Well she has a few minor burns from all the spirit energy she's used, not surprisingly her body temperature's a tad low from all the ice and her wet clothes, and I imagine I gave her a rather large bruise on her stomach" Elaina answered.

"Can you treat her or does she need to go to squad four for treatment?" Ukitake asked as he appeared with a shunpo.

"These injuries are relatively minor, so I shouldn't have any problems" Elaina replied as she removed Rukia's sheath and placed it over the blade of her Zanpakutou "but I highly recommend confiscating this for the time being."

"Agreed" Ukitake stated as he grabbed her sword and Elaina went to work on Rukia _"the problem is when she wakes up, merely taking away her Zanpakutou for now won't solve her mental problems."_

"_So he was watching us just to make sure we didn't go too far, or was it to make sure we didn't get killed by her attacks?"_ Toushirou thought to himself before saying "Sir, I'd like to have a chat with her when she wakes up, alone if I could."

Elaina looked at him and raised an eyebrow before asking "do you have a thing for women who try to kill you the first time you meet?"

"No" Toushirou breathed heavily _"damn she's annoying, just like Rangiku."_

"Why do you want to talk to her?" Ukitake asked curiously _"I wouldn't have expected a request like this from what I read in his file."_

"I think I may be able to help her" Toushirou said _"after all our situations may be different but we have one thing in common, we both know what's it's like to kill a friend."_

"I see" Ukitake said softly "very well if she wakes up sometime today you may speak to her, however…"

"Sir?" Toushirou asked.

"I'm afraid I've assigned you to mission to exterminate a pack of hollows that have been spotted just outside Southern Rukongai, Kiyone and Sentarou will be waiting for you with a few units in the morning so be ready" Ukitake answered.

"Understood" Toushirou replied.

"Elaina, I'm going to leave Rukia in your care" Ukitake stated and Elaina nodded in understanding.

"Would you let me know if she comes to some time today?" Toushirou asked.

"Sure" Elaina said "but it's going to cost you" she added with a devious smirk.

"No, it's not" Toushirou replied bluntly "because I'm ordering you to let me know if she wakes up."

"Damn, two years and two promotions later, and you're still no fun" Elaina pouted "and I was thinking that Lieutenant Matsumoto might have gotten you to loosen up, you must be a real hard case."

"Be quite" Toushirou replied as he disappeared with a shunpo to prepare for the next day's mission.

Elaina and Ukitake took Rukia to a small room in the squad thirteen administrative building, Elaina began to work on her injuries after she changed Rukia into a dry Kimono and Ukitake placed her Zanpakutou in his office.

Ukitake knocked on the door to Rukia's temporary room a couple of hours later before he heard Elaina reply "come in" he opened the door to see Rukia lying unconscious engulfed in a soft green light.

"How's she doing?" Ukitake asked as the light finally faded and Elaina took a seat on the floor a couple of feet away.

"Well I'm not as fast as Captain Unohana, but I managed to heal her wounds" Elaina answered before she stretched out her arms "but she'll probably be out for a while do to exhaustion from all the spirit energy she used up."

"I see, I'll leave you in your care until she wakes up" Ukitake sighed.

"Understood" Elaina replied.

"Tell me do you have any idea why third seat Hitsugaya has an interest in Rukia's case?" Ukitake asked curiously.

"No, I don't really know all that much about him; I've only met him on occasion when Lieutenant Matsumoto or Captain Aizen's fifth seat Momo Hinamori managed to drag him along for a night out" Elaina answered.

"How does he know those two?" Ukitake asked curiously.

"He grew up with Hinamori like siblings" Elaina replied "as for Lieutenant Matsumoto, he met her once in Rukongai and I kind of **arranged** a reunion unintentionally."

"What?" Ukitake said dully.

"Oh I felt he was too stern for a shinigami with his appearance so I introduced Lieutenant Matsumoto to him and that was when I learned that they had met before" Elaina answered before she started to chuckle lightly "you should've been there Captain, you can't pay for entertainment like what happens when those two are together."

"Does your father know anything more about him?" Ukitake asked.

"Dad said that when he first joined he was trying to die but his instincts wouldn't allow him to just lay back and let the hollows chew him to death" Elaina answered after thinking for a moment, she noticed Ukitake's curious expression before adding "I'm afraid he never found out why though."

"Troubling" Ukitake replied quietly.

"Regrettably tragedy seems to be a part of our existence as shinigami" Elaina stated solemnly _"after all Dad still blames himself for what happened to Mom to this very day."_

"Are you coping alright?" Ukitake asked "I know you got along well with Lieutenant Shiba and Mrs. Miyako."

Elaina smiled weakly and said "I'll live captain" before checking Rukia again "I'm afraid she won't wake for a good day or so, I guess third seat Hitsugaya will have to wait for his little chat."

Ukitake could tell Elaina was putting up a facade as he stood up and said "very well please take good care of Rukia."

"Understood" Elaina replied as Ukitake walked out the door.

"_Where do these young people get their resilience?" _Ukitake asked himself _"I get the feeling that the history of the Soul Society is heading towards a major turning point, I wonder if I'll live to see the results."_

Toushirou arrived the next morning outside the South Gate as the sun began to rise, minutes later several shinigami came up and greeted him until eventually there were only two missing members. Eventually the deadline for their departure arrived and they still hadn't shown.

"Okay where in the hell are those two?" Toushirou asked as he wiped his forehead "forget it let's go."

"Wait a minute sir, they're coming now" one of his subordinates pointed to two shinigami running towards them who appeared to be shoving each other in the face just before they stopped right in front of them.

"Kiyone, Sentarou, why are you late?" Toushirou asked "we were about to leave without you."

"Ah cawm on kiddo" Sentarou slurred "ya need to loosen up naw."

"What the hell?" Toushirou asked in confusion as Sentarou fell to the ground.

"Fur once I agree with tha monkey" Kiyone stated like a mad woman before she grabbed Toushirou's cheek "man Ran was right ya just too serious, such a shame, ya so adorable."

"_I can't freaking believe it"_ Toushirou thought as he took a sniff and coughed at the scent and felt Kiyone stretch his cheek "you're both drunk!!!"

"Naw why would ya say that?" Sentarou slurred as he got up and fell again.

"Soo cute" Kiyone teased causing a vein to pop on Toushirou's forehead.

"Okay that does it!!!" Toushirou hissed before he grabbed Kiyone's wrist and she froze over "I honestly can't believe you two are freaking seated officers and you dare to show up for duty drunk!!!" he grabbed Sentarou by the top of the head moments before he was encased in ice "okay let's get moving."

"But sir the captain ordered us to take them along" one of the shinigami stated.

"Damn" he sighed "I'm sorry but can a couple of you guys carry them, hopefully they'll be sober once they've thawed out."

"Sir" a couple of them replied as they lifted the officers up and began to carry them, their drunken smiles were still showing through the ice.

Toushirou pulled one of the shinigami over as the gate opened and asked "are those two **always **like that?"

"Pretty much sir" he answered "Lieutenant Shiba would often throw something at them every other morning they showed up and tell them to sober up."

"Every other morning?" Toushirou asked and the man nodded _"Damn Lieutenant Shiba must have been one hell of a man to put up with those two."_

Kiyone and Sentarou woke up to find out they were being carried and that their bodies felt incredibly stiff.

"Ah what happened?" Sentarou asked.

"Ah good you're awake" the shinigami who was carrying replied as he put him down and Sentarou began to stretch his limbs "we're about ten minutes away from our destination."

"What the heck happened to us?" Kiyone asked as she popped her shoulders and suddenly remembered what had happened "why did you go and freeze us?"

"Simple because that's what you get for showing up for work drunk when I'm in charge" Toushirou answered.

"Sheesh you sure are harsh, aren't you?" Sentarou asked as he joined their march "I mean sure Lieutenant Shiba would get angry, but he never went that far."

"Quit your whining" Toushirou replied "I don't care what Lieutenant Shiba's policy was with drunk subordinates" Kiyone was about to speak when he said "and I care even less about the fact that your older sister is a lieutenant; anyway we're here."

"Huh?" the fourth seats replied when they realized that they were standing out in the middle of a rather large clearing in the woods, the tall grass reached up to their waists "are you sure?"

Toushirou caught eye of a large number of blades of grass as they suddenly bent down and seemed to be racing towards him. Thinking quickly he drew his Zanpakutou and slashed a hollow down the middle before it leapt from the grass.

"They're using the tall grass to hide themselves, all units form into circular formations of three people and watch the grass" Toushirou shouted.

"Sir" a couple of them replied as the scattered and stood back to back to back with each other.

About half an hour later the shinigami were beginning to tire from the seemingly endless barrage of hollows that kept coming from the ground.

"_What's going on here?"_ Toushirou asked himself as he sliced another hollow before it could even reveal itself _"we've been at this for about half and hour and we've killed dozens of them but it feels like they keep getting replaced the moment we kill them"_ he swung his blade down like a sledge hammer on another hollow _"wait a minute that's it"_ he realized before he used a shunpo to get to the center of the clearing and shouted "EVERYONE JUMP AS HIGH AS YOU CAN!!!"

"What?!" Kiyone and Sentarou asked in confusion.

"JUST DO IT!!!" Toushirou shouted.

"Yes sir" Kiyone and Sentarou replied in a terrified tone as they all leapt into the air followed by their subordinates.

Toushirou raised his spiritual pressure as he leapt up just below his subordinates, moments later dozens of hollows leapt into the air after them.

"Wait a minute!!" Kiyone spat out "you've got to be kidding me."

"That explains why they just kept coming" Sentarou replied completely speechless.

"_As I thought"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he looked at all the hollows, they were all about three feet long with razor sharp fangs and incredibly thin legs _"these hollows are just drones created by a larger and stronger hollow, which why we weren't making any progress, the source was literally replacing them as soon as one of them died" _Toushirou couldn't help but smirk before saying "rein over the frosted frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru" sending a large ice dragon towards the ground freezing the hollows and the clearing below in a mountainous sheet of ice.

"So where's the source?" Kiyone asked as they all landed outside the ice, many of the shinigami were rendered speechless to the sudden display of power from their new third seat.

"Isn't it obvious" Toushirou stated.

"What do you mean sir?" Sentarou asked.

"Think about it" Toushirou ordered before asking "what do you think the odds of finding a clearing of this size in a densely wooded area without any signs of a fire or fallen trees are?"

"Wait a minute you don't mean" Kiyone began but was cut off by a loud roar that appeared to be coming from the ground beneath them and the ice shattered.

"Just as I suspected" Toushirou stated as the clearing in front of them began to shake and suddenly began to rise revealing a large hollow the size of a four story building with a bear like body, long green hairs on it's back _"so that was actually back hair instead of grass, how disgusting"_, and large mask with three green ring shaped markings on the forehead and sides.

"You little bastard" the hollow hissed.

"It's huge!!!" Sentarou stated.

The hollow raised one of its massive arms and punched towards Toushirou. A large amount of dust was kicked up and several trees fell to the ground as the attack connected and several shinigami leapt away

"Got him" the hollow chuckled.

"Got who?" A cold voice asked from the dust causing the hollow's eyes to shoot open before it cleared and revealed a short white haired shinigami blocking its fist with his left hand.

"You little bastard!" the hollow hissed before he unleashed over a dozen drones.

"Hurry back him up" Kiyone ordered as she and several shinigami intercepted the drones, the hollow opened its jaws and lunged towards her.

"Not so fast" Toushirou stated as he leapt in front of Kiyone.

"_Is he trying to shield her?" _the hollow asked itself _"oh well I'll just get two in one bite" _suddenly Toushirou's eyes began to glow light blue and he swung his sword in a diagonal motion and a dragon made of ice raced towards the hollow and knocked it into the woods on the other side of the crater. "You're not a boy, YOU'RE A MONSTOR!!!" the hollow roared as the dust cleared revealing the hollow to be badly injured and its limbs were frozen to the ground.

"Forgive me if I don't take your words seriously" Toushirou replied as he and Kiyone landed on the ground.

"Unbelievable" Sentarou stated as he and a few others landed _"this kid is as strong as Lieutenant Shiba; to think he could not only stop a hollow of that size while it was moving towards him, but to throw it back so far like it was a rag doll...damn I'm going to have to watch my step around him."_

"Are you alright Kiyone" Toushirou asked.

"Yeah" she replied.

"Good" Toushirou stated as he began to walk towards the hollow.

"_Damn, this kid isn't like those other shinigami" _the hollow swore in its mind as it began to struggle against the ice holding it down, a moment later he was staring eye to eye with the young shinigami "come on kid, you believe in mercy, don't you?"

"Not really" Toushirou replied lightly before he lunged his blade into the hollow's forehead causing it to disappear moments later "alright that's mission accomplished, gather up the injured and prepare to head back."

"Sir" the shinigami replied not wanting to risk upsetting their new officer.

A few hours later Ukitake was quietly reading the report in his office when he heard a light knock on his office door.

"Come in, it's open" Ukitake said.

"And what might you be looking at Jyuushiro?" a laid back voice asked as the door opened revealing Shunsui Kyouraku and Nanao Ise.

"Captain mind yourself please" Nanao half begged.

"Come on now my sweet little Nanao, me and Jyuushiro are old friends" Shunsui replied in his usual playful tone, Nanao responded as she always does and slaps him across the face with her book.

"I see you two are the same as usual" Ukitake chuckled "what can I do for you?"

"Oh we just thought we'd come and visit" Shunsui said as he rubbed his cheek with one hand and reached into his haori with the other and pulled out a bottle of sake "and have a drink or two."

Nanao had an extremely annoyed expression on her face as she saw Ukitake place the report he was reading on his desk "sir is that the report from that unit you sent to Southern Rukongai?"

"Yes, it would seem Captain Tousen did me quite a service by recommending I promote his fourth seat into my squad, he discovered the cause of disappearances and brought all our people back with nothing more than minor injuries" Ukitake said with a relieved smile "however it would appear there's going to be a rather large crater in the woods for quite a while" he noticed Nanao's curious expression before saying "feel free to read it if you want Lieutenant Ise."

"Thank you" Nanao replied as she began to read the report.

"Speaking of your new third seat, I heard he froze your fourth seats in a block of ice before leaving for the mission" Shunsui stated with an amused expression.

"Yes apparently the showed up for duty drunk and takes even less kindly for drunken subordinates than Kaien did" Ukitake answered with a chuckle.

"_The ability to freeze annoying drunks in a block of ice, huh?"_ Nanao thought as she looked to her captain _"damn I envy this kid, oh well at least I'm not Captain Ikari's Lieutenant."_

"So where is this boy genius of yours anyway?" Shunsui asked curiously as he poured three cups of sake.

"Thank you" Ukitake replied as he accepted the drink before saying "he said he wanted to do some training tonight."

"All alone?" Nanao asked with a hint of concern for the child's safety.

"Don't worry, he can handle himself" Ukitake replied "besides my sixth seat followed after him in secret."

"You mean Miss Elaina Dark-Heart, right?" Shunsui asked and Ukitake nodded causing him to chuckle "that should be interesting." 

Toushirou breathed heavily as he sat on the ground in a ghost town section of the Seireitei and pulled the pouch containing Alexander's crystal from his pocket.

"So my dad did give you one of those fancy memory crystals" Elaina stated as she appeared out of nowhere and caused Toushirou to flinch slightly "and I thought you'd be in the middle of Bankai training."

"Is there a reason why you followed me?" Toushirou asked.

"Two actually" Elaina answered "I wanted to tell you that Rukia should be ready for your little chat in the morning, and I decided to come out here to work on **my** Bankai training."

"I need to focus you know" Toushirou stated sternly.

"Oh don't worry" Elaina stated as she drew her Zanpakutou and it disappeared in a flash of light and materialized next to her "my test is just a fist fight so we can make sure you don't get caught up."

"You're going to fight against **that** barehanded?!" Toushirou asked as he looked over the materialization; it was about seven feet tall with a humanoid shape, yellow eyes, no mouth, long razor sharp claws on its hands and feet, and it was covered from head to toe in red-orange scales with a soft blue glow coming from its palms and the bottom of its feet.

"That's correct" it replied "my name is…"

"Don't but into our conversation if you don't mind" Elaina cut it off.

"_She's one to talk" _Toushirou and the Zanpakutou thought to themselves.

"Anyway I just wanted to warn you" Elaina began as she took off her kimono top to reveal a black short sleeved shirt she had gotten in the world of the living underneath "that crystal contains some pretty rough scenes, you may want to pass on sating your curiosity."

"I take it you've seen what's on here" Toushirou stated coldly as he looked at its green surface with an even greater sense of curiosity.

"Of course I'm in some of those scenes, and my Dad never was too good at keeping secrets from me to begin with" Elaina answered as she folded her Kimono top and placed a rock over it to keep it from blowing off "but the choice is ultimately yours, so do what you want" she turns to the manifestation.

"Are you ready to begin?" it asks only a moment before raising both its arms to stop Elaina's feet from connecting with its face "I'll take that as a yes" it added as she landed and they both used a shunpo to travel away from Toushirou.

"A rough ride, huh?" Toushirou asked as he spilt some of his spirit energy into the crystal and it began to glow "I guess I won't be disappointed with what I see."

Miles away on top of the squad five administrative building Sousuke Aizen was waiting was staring up at the night sky with ambition stretched across his face "I see your both here, Gin, Kaname."

"My, win'd ya notice me?" Gin asked as he and Kaname appeared.

"As soon as you got here of course" Aizen answered "so Kaname, how goes dealing with the problem officers?"

"I managed to have Toushirou Hitsugaya promoted into squad thirteen" Kaname answered "unfortunately there haven't been any chances for me to have Alexander Dark-Heart transferred, and I had no choice but to promote him to fourth seat in order to spare my squad's chain of command."

"I see, where is he now?" Aizen asked.

"I sent him and a team to Berlin; I recommend we don't meet whenever he's in the Seireitei" Kaname replied and Aizen nodded, a moment later Kaname asked "do you want me to kill him?"

"No" Aizen replied "that would be too risky, you saw what he's capable of during both the World Wars in the world of the living, if you tried attacking him out right he'd likely live long enough to expos you, and since you've already used it on him it's unlikely you could hope to kill him in one hit with your Bankai."

"My apologies" Kaname said "it's just that the rate of his spiritual pressure's increase has risen dramatically, at this rate he'll have a captain's level of power within a few years."

"I understand but it doesn't matter" Aizen stated calmly "after all, even his eyes can't see through Kyouka Suigetsu."

"Pardon me, but aint we here to discuss sweeping our antics under the rug?" Gin asked "I'm curious to here what ya plans are na."

"That's correct" Aizen replied with a grin "I've got a plan to pin all of our activities on **another** misbehaving captain and thus rid anyone of suspicion."

"How do you plan to do that?" Kaname asked.

"If my calculations are correct we should be able to enact it in a few years, in the mean time we'll have to wait for an **unknowing pawn** to gain enough power to fulfill his role" Aizen answered.

"Sounds entertaining" Gin stated causing Aizen to smirk dangerously.

Six hours later the sun began to rise and Toushirou came back to reality covered in sweat, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his eyes were being kept wide open in sheer shock, and he was breathing heavily.

"My dad's had one hell of an existence hasn't he?" Elaina's voice asked.

Toushirou turned to see Elaina setting cross-legged covered in scrapes and bruises as she used healing kidou to treat a cut on her left arm and said "I wasn't expecting any of that!" he took a couple of breaths to slow his heart down back to normal.

"I told you it was a rough ride" Elaina stated "I take it your sense of curiosity has been satisfied now."

"Yeah" Toushirou sighed "I mean I knew that his Nehan originally belonged to someone else, but I never imagined that something like that had happened."

"Well what happened was only possible because of what Mom was, if it had been anyone else Dad would only have one Zanpakutou like you and me" Elaina explained.

"Can I ask you something?" Toushirou asked.

"I can't promise I have an answer but you can" Elaina replied.

"How did he keep finding the strength to fight after all that happened to him?" Toushirou asked.

Elaina sighed before saying "I suppose it's because he believes in what his tribe called 'that light within the darkness that allows us to wear the darkness without losing our souls to corruption and madness' as you saw his clan was rather resilient, if not a bit misguided."

"Do you know what this 'light' is?" Toushirou asked.

"Hope" Elaina answered.

"Hope?" Toushirou replied.

"Yeah, hope is a truly amazing thing; I've met a lot of people over the course of my life and so many of them had faced unimaginable hardship, like Mom and Dad" Elaina said with a small smile "and yet despite the trials they faced, they all refused to give in to despair, and it was all because they had hope for a better day; in that sense you, me, my mother, my father, and a good number of the Captains and Lieutenants are the same."

"I see" Toushirou stated.

"Any more questions?" Elaina asked.

"Just one, from what I saw in your father's memories, is there a way for a person to become a warlock without being born one?" Toushirou asked.

"Yeah there is one other way; you saw the diary of the first Warlock that my Dad read when he was alive right?" Elaina asked and Toushirou nodded "as you probably guessed she had always had strong spirit energy lying dormant within her soul; but the whole **dormant** part came to an end during that little **confrontation** she had with the Pope. All the hatred, betrayal, sorrow, and her intense desire for revenge awakened her spirit energy, but it also awakened her spiritual affinity."

"Spiritual affinity?" Toushirou asked.

"Let's see, how to describe it…" Elaina said as she placed her finger below her bottom lip "everyone's spirit energy carries a certain affinity or nature to it, most people however never discover what their said affinity is, only one out of a hundred people ever discover what it is, and out of those who do discover it less than half a percent are able to use it without releasing a Zanpakutou" Toushirou's eyes suddenly gave an understanding expression "as I'm sure you've noticed by now, that you're one of those incredibly rare specimens that can use their affinity without releasing a Zanpakutou and equally obvious is that you're an ice type; now tell me can you guess what affinity she carried?"

"A Darkness affinity I would assume" Toushirou answered and Elaina nodded "so theoretically your father's clan could actually rise again if enough people with the Darkness affinity managed to awaken and control it?"

"That or if my dad got married and gave me a hell of a lot of little siblings, but he's not the kind of man to do that" Elaina answered "anyway fully awakening one's affinity is an incredibly difficult task that few manage to achieve it requires a person to truly become their affinity, even head captain Yamamoto hasn't fully awoken his affinity for fire and he's been at it for about two thousand years now."

"The head captain himself hasn't done it, but he's incredibly powerful; I mean his shikai alone shows he's a fire type…" Toushirou began but was cut off by Elaina's hand.

"But to use his affinity at that level of power he has to at least use his shikai, he can't set someone ablaze by just connecting with them" Elaina explained "he may be stronger than you and me put together but when it comes to your souls' affinity, you're actually stronger in that area than he is."

"Just how strong is my affinity?" Toushirou asked.

"Right now your affinity is stronger than the head captain's in that you can use it without releasing a Zanpakutou, but you're not at my Dad's level in the sense that you're able to use it to the fullest without releasing your Zanpakutou" Elaina answered "theoretically if you were to strengthen your affinity up to his level you'd be able to start your own unique tribe of ice masters."

"So these rare tribes of humans with special powers that I've heard of were created because humans with strong enough spirit energy were able to fully awaken it and pass it on to their next of kin?" Toushirou asked with curious fascination.

"That's correct" Elaina answered "the Warlock tribe had the Darkness, the Quincy had the Spirit affinity that allowed them to use absorb and manipulate spirit particles; I take it you get the idea."

"Yeah" Toushirou replied _"Interesting, well I guess it's time to go see this Rukia woman"_ suddenly he felt his stomach growl _"after I get something to eat"_ he thought in annoyance.

And that's a rap for chapter seven. Please leave a review and stayed tuned for chapter eight, hopefully I'll have it up faster than this one. In case your wondering I'm not going to explain Alexander's past yet that's still quite a few chapters away, the focus is still on Toushirou and his climb to becoming a Captain.

**Spiritual Affinities**

All beings with spirit energy also carry an affinity for a certain element (Yamamoto has Fire, Toushirou and Rukia have Ice, Alexander and Elaina have Darkness [as hinted by the fact that Elaina's Zanpakutou manifests in the form of a demon], and so on). Most beings have their affinities lying completely dormant through out the course of their existence, about one percent of shinigami are able to use their affinity by releasing their Zanpakutou (such as Rukia and Yamamoto), less then half a percent are able to fully awaken and control said affinity without needing to release a Zanpakutou or something similar (those who do pass their abilities on to any children they have, thus creating special tribes like the Quincy or Warlock tribes), and even more rare are people who are able to use their affinity at a limited level without using a shikai or Bankai (like Toushirou when he froze Kiyone and Sentarou without even drawing his blade).


	8. Shadows of the Past

Author's Notes: Howdy folks you better take care of any little chores before you start reading because this is the longest chapter yet.

Anyway please enjoy and leave a review when you're done.

I don't own Bleach or Devil May Cry

**Ch. 8 Shadows of the Past**

"Okay remind me again, where are you taking me exactly?" Toushirou asked as he followed Elaina through the roof tops of the Seireitei.

"I told you there's this special diner that a large number of officers frequent, it's got the best food from across both globes" Elaina explained as they arrived and went through the door.

Toushirou looked around to see a large number of shinigami sitting at the tables eating a variety of foods with a variety of utensils, most of them had a rather serious expression on their faces as they talked to the other members at the table, he noticed Oomaeda was stuffing his face in the cornor with abhorrent amounts of food _"what an unbelievable glutton"_ Toushirou thought to himself. He noticed that the walls were covered with newspaper articles in a wide variety of human languages of major events going back to the seventeen hundreds, and to his left as he walked in he saw several stacks of newspapers focusing around world events.

"What's also nice about this place, is that it's a good source of information on what's going on in the World of the Living, and if your ears are sharp enough it's an excellent source of interesting rumors" Elaina stated as a hostess came towards them _"it seems we're the first ones here" _she thought to herself.

"Table for two?" the hostess asked.

"No four actually" Elaina replied causing Toushirou to raise an eyebrow.

"Who's the little cutie" the hostess asked "did you volunteer to baby sit for a friend Miss Dark-Heart?"

_"Oh, damn; I bet his expression is just priceless right now"_ Elaina thought to herself as she cracked a smile and turned to see that he had his left eye closed half way and a vein threatening to pop on his right temple.

"Who the hell are you calling a little cutie?!" Toushirou hissed causing the hostess to back up a couple of steps and Elaina to laugh softly "and for the record I'm **her** superior officer."

"I'm sorry" the hostess said in fear for her life as the doors opened again.

"It would seem the rest of our group is here" Elaina said with a smirk.

Suddenly Toushirou felt a hand grab the back of his kimono just below the neck and hoist him into the air before he heard a familiar voice say "gee kid you sure are trouble."

Toushirou closed both eyes in annoyance before calmly saying "Rangiku put me down now."

"Toushirou, you can't just say that to a Lieutenant" Momo stated as she walked in after them.

"Shut up, you're not the boss of me" Toushirou stated as he freed himself from Rangiku's grip "by the way why are you two here?"

Suddenly Toushirou felt a pair of arms wrap around his upper torso just before he was pulled into a painful bear hug, and do to his height and Rangiku's **assets** he couldn't even breathe "why do you think we're here?" Rangiku asked in annoyance "you accepted a promotion and a transfer without telling us, do you know how that makes us feel?"

"Yeah Toushirou I was going to visit you yesterday only to find out you were with squad thirteen now, and when I got there I found out you had already left on a mission" Momo stated as he was still struggling to free himself from Rangiku's bear hug.

"Um would you like me to show you to your table?" the hostess asked.

"That would be nice" Elaina chuckled "sorry about that, it happens just about every time those two are within a hundred feet of each other."

"I still think it's inappropriate" Momo stated as they followed the hostess and Toushirou still hadn't broken free.

"And I still **know** that it's funny as hell" Elaina replied as they took their seats and Rangiku finally let Toushirou go.

Momo and Rangiku began to lecture Toushirou over accepting Ukitake's promotion without telling them for a few minutes as Elaina began to read a newspaper.

"Alright I understand, will you both get off my back?" Toushirou asked.

"So long as you understand" Rangiku said before rubbing her palm in his hair causing him to close both his eyes half-way.

"Seriously though Toushirou, you make me worry" Momo said "the way you behave I'm worried you'll get yourself killed during a mission or trying to obtain Bankai."

"Well the missions are a risk we all have to take, but you can stop worrying about the Bankai training already" Toushirou sighed in annoyance.

"Oh you've given up on it?" Momo asked in relief.

Toushirou shot her a very annoyed look before saying "don't insult me Momo I've already obtained the freaking release" Momo's eyes shot open in shock and Rangiku seemed impressed "all I have to do is master using it" he stated proudly _"and deal with __**that little issue…**__"_ he thought in a hidden depression.

"And I thought I was doing well with the training" Elaina said lightly as she sipped some coffee and put down a newspaper _"looks like nothing new is going on in Berlin so it should be a relatively safe assignment for my dad."_

"Tell me something Elaina, did you have anything to do with Momo and Rangiku knowing my whereabouts earlier?" Toushirou asked.

"Come now third seat Hitsugaya be fair" Elaina stated with a facade of innocence that fooled no one "do you honestly believe that I would have told these two where you were going to be in some sort of conspiracy to have Rangiku punish you in some sort of humiliating fashion, all so I could get some laughs…do you really think I would do that?"

"I'm going to assume that was a rhetorical question" Toushirou stated in annoyance as Elaina smirked.

Momo looked at Elaina and said "you're very sadistic."

"Tell me something I **don't** know" Elaina said lightly as their meals arrived.

"_Clearly being raised by Alex in his younger days was quite an experience"_ Toushirou thought dryly.

Toushirou was silent for most of the meal as the three women began to chat without end. Momo kept going on about how wonderful captain Aizen was, Rangiku kept talking about shopping spots she had seen in the world of the living, and Elaina kept telling incredibly demented but amusing stories about what was going on in squad thirteen or what she had seen in her squad four days.

"I'll tell you something though I was very grateful not to still be in squad four when third seat Hitsugaya came back from that little expedition a few days ago" Elaina stated.

"Why what happened?" Momo asked.

"We were sent out to exterminate a pack of hollows that had been killing shinigami and a number of souls in the woods of Southern Rukongai, we came across a large clearing with grass that was up to their waists…" Toushirou began.

"And your head" Elaina added earning her an angry look from Toushirou.

"as I was saying" Toushirou continued "moments later a number of hollows attacked us by using the grass as cover, however we didn't appear to be making progress despite the fact that we had killed dozens of the little bastards; at this point I realized we were actually fighting on the back of a large hollow that had roosted there and was using drones it created to wear down and overwhelm anyone who had stepped on top of him."

"So wait a minute that 'grass' was actually back hair?" Momo asked with a sick expression on her face and Toushirou nodded.

"That's disgusting" Rangiku stated.

"That's not the worst of it" Elaina stated and the other two women turned to her in frightened curiosity "I could smell them a mile away when they returned, the thing is some of them needed medical attention so they were taken to squad four; what really sucked for those poor souls was that they had to heal them before they could take a bath to get rid of the scent…it must have been horrible."

"Poor Isane" Rangiku said in genuine pity.

"Yeah I felt sorry for them…not enough to throw myself into the same position as they were in but I still felt sorry for them" Elaina replied.

"As **charming** as you three are, I think it's time for me to go; my duties aren't going to fulfill themselves" Toushirou said as he tried to back out his chair but felt it hit someone "sorry about that" he said as he turned to see the man he had hit.

"Well naw aint ya the lady's man" the man said jokingly.

"Gin" Rangiku whispered softly.

"Captain Ichimaru" Elaina and Toushirou said respectfully while Momo was silent.

"Naw naw, no need ta be alarmed I just wanted to see how ya all were doin" Gin said in his usual unreadable tone.

"Nothing all that special" Elaina replied "killing hollows, making sure stupid people don't blow up the Seireitei with some half backed scheme, and just about anything else you can think of."

"Same old, same old" Gin said with a hint of amusement as he looked in Rangiku's eyes and then turned to Toushirou "congrats on ya promotion, your name's becoming well known amongst the captains, keep up the good wirk we've got hopes for ya."

"I'll try my best sir" Toushirou answered but was thinking _"this guy is a serious creep."_

"I'm sure ya will, take care naw" Gin replied as he headed for the exit _"take care naw Ran, and don't ya disappoint me Toushirou Hitsugaya." _

"Well that was unexpected" Elaina said as she finished her meal and placed some money on the table.

"He's almost as creepy as that Alexander Dar…" Momo began but was cut off by a lethal glare from Elaina.

"Just so you know, I can think of at least ten different ways that I could kill you where you sit and make it look like natural causes" Elaina warned with an expression that read 'watch your damn mouth if you know what's good for you.'

"_Momo sometimes I wonder about you…"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he lay down some money and got out of his seat.

"_Gin…"_ Rangiku thought solemnly to herself as she stood up and parted ways with her friends at the exit _"…what in the hell are you up to now, and what does Toushirou have to do with it?"_

"Well that was a damn good meal as always" Elaina said happily as she and Toushirou returned to the squad thirteen courtyard.

"Was there some sort of point to all that?" Toushirou asked.

"Yeah to get your mind off of your talk with Rukia Kuchki" Elaina answered.

_Flashback-four days ago_

Toushirou walked into a small room in the squad thirteen administrative building to find Rukia Kuchki sitting in a futon with an incredibly blank expression on her face as if she was just a gigai without a soul to animate it. Next to her was sitting Elaina who actually had a serious expression on her face as she stood up, saluted him, and left.

"Who are you?" Rukia asked without even a hint of emotion.

"My name is Toushirou Hitsugaya, I'm the new third seat of squad Thirteen" Toushirou answered politely.

"The third seat, that was Mrs. Miyako's position" Rukia stated dully "until the…" she began to choke.

"Yes before the incident with the Hollow" Toushirou finished for her causing her to flinch.

"I don't know if you noticed me or not, but I was that guy with sixth seat Dark-Heart when you were in the middle of that little **training incident** a couple of days ago" Toushirou said calmly.

"I don't remember you, sorry" Rukia stated.

"Don't worry about that" Toushirou said calmly "the thing is me and the rest of the squad was worried about you, you really gave us a scare when you nearly trained yourself to death."

"Why would you care?" Rukia asked her voice was again lacking in emotion.

"Let's just say that you remind me of someone I knew" Toushirou answered causing Rukia to look at him with a small hint of curiosity "it was under different conditions but he killed his best friend to and his situation didn't even involve a hollow" Rukia's eyes were now wide open "and to this very day he still blames himself; at first he tried to commit suicide by throwing himself to a group of hollows, however his instincts wouldn't allow it."

"So what did he do?" Rukia asked.

"He took an oath to live so that he might help change the soul society for the better so that such a tragedy would never happen again" Toushirou stated as he stood up "I read the report, I know what happened, and I met Lieutenant Shiba on a number of occasions before I was brought into squad thirteen."

"You knew Kaien?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah, he had a habit of calling me by my first name despite how many times I had asked him to call me fourth seat Hitsugaya, whenever I reminded him of this he would often tell me 'lighten up Toushirou' and then rub his fist in my hair…to be completely honest the guy kind of pissed me off" Toushirou replied as he rubbed his forehead and Rukia frowned a bit "but I knew him well enough to say that he wouldn't want you to blame yourself for what happened, hell the Kaien Shiba I knew would probably say something along the lines of 'it wasn't your fault, it was all because of that damn hollow, so quit whining about it and help Captain Ukitake keep those idiots Kiyone and Sentarou in line'" Rukia looked at him darkly before he said "think about it, he **was** that kind of man wasn't he?"

Rukia looked down at her hands with a few tears in her eyes as she said "yeah he was wasn't he?"

"In either case it's entirely your decision as to what you do from here on out" Toushirou stated as he stood up and she looked at him in confusion "but like I said the Kaien Shiba I knew would want you to live, it was a tragedy, but it wasn't your fault" he then headed towards the door.

"_So have you gotten over your own situation?" _Hyourinmaru asked.

"_Like I said, different circumstances; the ultimate difference between hers and mine is that there really is no reason to blame her for what happened"_ Toushirou replied.

_End Flashback_

"You're a nosey woman, you know that?" Toushirou asked as they made their way back to the squad thirteen offices.

"I'm curious, it's human nature" Elaina replied lightly.

"But you're a shinigami" Toushirou informed her.

"Yeah, I always thought that was a rather arrogant term on our part" Elaina said as she put her fingers to her chin.

"How so?" Toushirou asked before thinking _"why do I get the feeling I don't want to know?"_

"Well I'm sure you know that the term shinigami roughly translates to 'god of death'" Elaina answered "the reason I feel it's arrogant is because of the 'god' part, I mean think about it; gods are supposed to be 'truly' immortal, they're supposed to be all powerful, and they're supposed to be infallible…and we're none of those things."

Toushirou stopped for a moment before saying "that's actually a very good point."

"So you finally realize" Elaina responded with a demented smile "that beneath this young, talented, and damn pretty face lays the mind of true genius philosopher."

Toushirou was about to reply crudely to her comment when he heard Kiyone's voice call out "Elaina" Toushirou looked down the alley as they arrived at the office building to see Kiyone running towards them full speed with Sentarou following closely behind, moments later Sentarou tackled her causing them to screech as they came to a stop right in front of Elaina and Toushirou who were both looking at them with an eyebrow raised.

"We have a message for you" Sentarou said "it's important Cap…"

"What do you think you're doing jackass?!" Kiyone shouted back as she placed her palm in his face and shoved his head into the ground.

Elaina turned to Toushirou as they began to work up to a full fledge fist fight "sounds important, may I?"

"Please do" Toushirou answered as he thought _"these two sure are infuriating."_

Elaina lifted both Kiyone and Sentarou to their feet causing them to look at her in confusion before she placed a hand on each of their heads and slammed them together "anyway you had a message for me?"

Kiyone looked at Toushirou and realized he had authorized what had just happened and said "Captain Ukitake requests that you and third seat Hitsugaya report to him as soon as possible."

"What's going on?" Elaina asked.

"He wouldn't say" Sentarou replied "he just requested you two meet him in briefing room two."

"Sounds promising" Elaina sighed as she and Toushirou made their way to briefing room two and Kiyone and Sentarou resumed their brawl.

"Third seat Hitsugaya" a woman's voice called as he and Elaina were about to knock on the door, he looked to his right to see Rukia Kuchki walking towards them from the hall dressed her in full outfit and her Zanpakutou in its sheath.

"How are you doing?" Toushirou asked.

"Better" Rukia answered "I just wanted to thank you for that discussion and to thank you both for stopping me last week."

Elaina replied by asking "you do realize you're thanking me for kneeing you in the stomach right?"

"Well, yes, but…" Rukia didn't know how to react so she said "anyway I don't want to hold you up, thanks again" she then saluted and ran off.

"You did good, it would seem" Elaina teased.

"Shut up" Toushirou said in annoyance as he opened the door and saw their captain sitting at a small round table in the middle of medium sized room with a projection screen with a serious expression on his face "what's going on sir?"

"We've just received a report of an unusual hollow and we've been assigned to take it out" Ukitake replied "but before we go we need Elaina to look at some images and video footage some of our men stationed in the world of the living captured when they were attacked."

"Why me?" Elaina asked curiously.

"Tell me, how much do you know of your father's tribe?" Ukitake asked.

"Pretty much everything from their history, their abilities, their philosophies, and so on" Elaina answered "why?"

"Well with your father in Berlin we were hoping you could take a look at the hollow we're going after" Ukitake answered.

"You suspect it might have something to do with his clan?" Elaina asked.

"Yes it's just that we have no real records on his clan and he's been deployed…" Ukitake began.

"And since I was raised by him the captains' committee assumed I would know the most about what we're dealing with" Elaina finished.

"That's, correct; anyway let me show you the footage" Ukitake replied as he picked up a remote and the first image appeared on the wall.

"Impossible" Elaina stated weakly when she saw the hollow.

The hollow was about twenty feet tall with a golden body, the arms were about three feet in diameter and at the end of each arm were five dagger-like claws, the legs were slightly hunched hinting that it was capable of standing upright but it could position itself on all fours for extra running speed and power, coming out of it's shoulders were a pair of large golden bat-like wings each about fifteen feet when spread all the way, and the head was sporting a pair of curved horns which nearly covered the mask which had three dark red lines running parallel horizontally across the face. But what caught Elaina's attention more than anything else was the fact that its entire body was covered in black markings, it was holding a large golden battle axe with demonic eye emblems on both ends and the center of the blade, and its golden eyes had slit shaped irises.

"This hollow appeared a few hours ago on East Coast of the United States and engaged a unit of our men in the capital city of Washington" Ukitake began to explain "regrettably this was all we got from our team" moments later a video began to play.

The hollow let out a roar as it arrived in the world of the living and growled "where is he?!"

Moments later ten shinigami surrounded him with their Zanpakutou drawn and several of their free hands were glowing just before several fire balls and bolts of lightning struck his position.

"Got him" one of the shinigami said smugly.

"LOOK OUT" another shouted at him.

The first shinigami suddenly felt the pain as a black blast of energy struck him in the back just before the hollow's axe fell on top of him, as his body fell a strange energy seemed to leak out of his body and into the axe.

"BASTARD" yet another shinigami shouted as he swung his Zanpakutou only to have the blade cut in half as the axe blade came rushing towards him and his life was also ended and the same strange energy flowed from his corpse into the axe.

"Don't let your guard down" their leader shouted, moments later his right wrist was surrounded in a small sphere of black energy and he screamed in pain, causing him to drop his Zanpakutou. When the sphere disappeared his wrist looked as if it had been slammed between two wrecking balls, almost instantly the hollow appeared in front of him and he fell like his comrades before him.

"We need back up, its way too much for us everyone retreat" their second in command shouted and the remaining seven flew off in different directions.

"Foolish vermin" the hollow chuckled, moments later the sounds of teleportation and screams filled the air as seven shinigami fell to the hollow's axe and the same energy from their comrades left them and were absorbed into the blade "hardly even a snack."

"As you can see it's incredibly lethal, judging by the ease of how he dispatched those men it would seem that this hollow possesses power equivalent to that of the Menos Grande" Ukitake stated solemnly "and as you noticed there were no survivors."

"Where is it now?" Elaina asked with a clear expression of anger and hatred written across her face.

"It's currently flying over the Atlantic, judging by its direction we believe it's heading towards Europe" Ukitake answered "were those warlock abilities it possessed?"

"Yes, it was definitely of the Warlock clan at one point" Elaina answered _"there's no way around it; a hollow with Warlock powers and not to mention it possessed __**that**__ axe, it has to be __**him**__."_

"But I don't get it" Toushirou stated "if it was of the Warlock clan, why didn't it just teleport to its next destination, I've seen Alexander do it all the time."

"There are two different types of teleportation that a Warlock can use" Elaina began "the first is the kind you've seen my dad use in combat where he could move from one place to another regardless of the direction he was facing, if there were any obstacles in the path, or if he was already in motion at speeds that fall just short of the shunpo however this method only works when they have exact knowledge of where they'll appear and in general they can't use this method for distances of more than two miles; the second method allows them to teleport to any spot that they've established as an **appearing point** by using Dark Soul Crystals where they can teleport to at anytime, provided it's in the same dimension and there isn't any sort of barrier to block them."

"I see" Toushirou replied "so he can't get their with the first because the distance is too great and he can't use the second because he hasn't established any of these **appearing points** in Europe."

"I wish we knew what it's after" Ukitake sighed.

"It's going after my dad in Berlin" Elaina stated causing Ukitake to look at her in confusion.

"We believe that hollow and Alexander had some conflicts when they were alive" Toushirou explained simply remembering what he had seen in Alexander's memories "he likely sensed that Alexander was somewhere to the East and that's why he's heading to Europe."

"I see" Ukitake breathed heavily "in any case we've been ordered to intercept it in Portugal before it kills any more of our men."

"Just two things captain" Elaina stated "first off about that axe, it's an example of the weapons that Warlocks often created for themselves called a Devil's arm; what makes this Devil's arm particularly dangerous is the fact every time it kills someone it absorbs their souls into the blade in order to increase the wielder's power…"

"So that was what happened with those men he killed" Ukitake stated and Elaina nodded "I'm sorry what else did you want to say."

"This hollow is a bitter enemy of my family, I wish to fight it alone" Elaina stated.

"Are you mad?!" Toushirou burst out "this hollow was the man who…"

"Killed my father and my grandmother, I know" Elaina cut him off "that's why it has to be me or my Dad who finishes him off, it's a matter of honor for us."

"I see, very well then you'll be the one to face it" Ukitake replied.

"Thank you captain" Elaina said with a bow.

"However..." Ukitake began.

*Two hours later-West Coast of Portugal*

Elaina exited the Senkaimon on an abandoned beach and looked out to the sea with apprehension and a strong sense of determination _"okay time to get started" _she thought.

Elaina held out her left arm and began to focus her spirit energy as she held out a round device which showed the hollow was still out to sea and it was heading for a section of beach to the far north near a populated area.

Elaina sat on the ground and thought _"okay so I need to get it to change its course or it will be difficult to keep innocent by standards out of the way, this is where my spiritual affinity comes in…"_ suddenly the spirit energy in Elaina's left arm began to turn black and she felt as if her heart was becoming increasingly heavy _"…it may not be as strong as my father's but hopefully my Darkness Affinity will be enough to draw him to me and away from any humans who might get hurt."_

"_Be careful Elaina, pour too much into your affinity and you could lose yourself to the Darkness"_ her Zanpakutou warned.

"_Shut up, I know that already"_ Elaina hissed at it _"I won't allow myself to be lost to my own power, after all once I've strengthened my affinity enough I'll be a Warlock just like my Dad."_

"_I recommend you focus on the task at hand for now" _The Zanpakutou advised.

"_I am, there's no need to worry"_ Elaina assured it she looked at the radar and smirked as she saw that the hollow was changing its direction _"bingo." _

Minutes later Elaina saw the golden hollow's shape flying towards her as she flew up to meet it.

"What, who the hell are you, and why does your soul reek of that man's presence?" the hollow asked angrily "I knew I should've stayed on course."

"Before I answer you tell me something, when you were alive did you go by the name Maximillion?" Elaina asked.

"Yes" it replied and Elaina's face contorted with rage "now answer **my questions**!!!"

"Squad Thirteen, sixth Seat, Elaina Dark-Heart" Elaina said with a combination of pride and rage "I'm the daughter of Alexander Dark-Heart and the woman who's going to kill you!!!"

"I see so that's why you reek of his presence" Maximillion chuckled before he swung his axe down.

Maximillion's eyes opened in shock as Elaina locked blades with his axe from below with her Zanpakutou, moments later she swung her self from below towards Maximillion using her Zanpakutou and planted both her feet in Maximillion's face sending him flying back twenty yards. Maximillion spread his wings fully and lunged towards her and swung his axe towards her left side, Elaina blocked the axe by holding her blade vertically, she looked to her right to see Maximillion's left claws rushing towards her. Thinking fast she performed a roundhouse kick with her right leg sending his axe arm away from her and then she swung down with her Zanpakutou cutting into the clawed hand between the middle and index fingers.

"YOU BITCH!!!" Maximillion shouted as he leapt back and Elaina did the same.

"Quit your whining" Elaina said coldly as she swung her sword to get the blood off the blade "because you're suffering has just begun, tonight you'll pay for your crimes."

"I'll pay for my crimes huh?" Maximillion asked as the wound on his hand regenerated "how odd to hear that coming from the child of Alexander Dark-Heart, but wait I guess you're not really his daughter he must have just picked you up in the Soul Society or something which is why you're not one of us."

"Shut up" Elaina commanded with a threatening tone.

"Did he tell you about how he betrayed the clan and about all the people he murdered in cold blood?" Maximillion asked clearly amused "after all our clan was ultimately destroyed because of him."

Elaina disappeared with a shunpo, Maximillion's eyes looked amused as he turned to his left after the horn on his left side was cut off to see Elaina floating calmly with the horn in her left hand and a blood stained sword in her right.

"Not only did he tell me about all those things he did in life, he showed me through his memories, I had a front row seat" Elaina replied darkly "I saw all those things that **you** manipulated him and the others into doing when they were just children; my father isn't to blame for what happened, because it was **you** who destroyed the tribe."

"How so?" Maximillion asked with amusement as his horn grew back.

"You were the leader of the tribe, it was your duty to lead them with benevolence and help them find a better future, but what did you do instead…" Elaina began "…you deceived them all, you used them, and you broke the tenants; and you did it all in order to sate your own lust for blood and domination…the facts are clear, it's all your fault, and no one else is to blame!!!"

"It would seem talking is pointless" Maximillion said in amusement.

"Of course it is" Elaina replied "I haven't looked into your eyes so far because I didn't want you to predict my moves, but I'll let you have a glance" Elaina looked into Maximillion's eyes, he sensed immense feelings of hatred and a strong desire to kill him coming from her mind "just to assure you that your Bull Shit isn't going to work on me."

"I'm going to enjoy this" Maximillion replied before he teleported behind Elaina and swung his axe down on top of her.

Elaina lifted her Zanpakutou and blocked the blade, moments later she saw a black sphere appear cover her stomach "Damn it" she swore before she used shunpo to leap back as far as possible.

"It would appear he's taught her a few things" Maximillion said in annoyance as the sphere disappeared revealing Elaina's stomach area to be exposed and covered in small bruises but completely in tact with no lacerations "you seem to know what you're doing."

"That was the Warlock Art known as 'crushing void' it creates a black sphere around a section of the target and increases the gravitational force towards the center exponentially, it's an effective skill but it has three weaknesses" Elaina stated "first off the father away the target is from the user the weaker the force becomes, secondly using it on larger areas will also decrease it's power, and lastly it takes several seconds after the sphere appears for it to take effect; when I saw it appear it was a simple matter of putting some distance between us and forcing my spirit energy out in the opposite direction of your technique to minimize the damage, the bottom half of my Kimono top is ruined and my lower torso is covered in bruises but I'm still fit to fight."

"_It would seem I need to go all out on her" _Maximillion thought snidely "you're soul will make a delicious addition."

"Screw you" Elaina said just before she raised her right arm and her spiritual pressure increased as she chanted "Snap his neck, Onitsume (Demon Claw)."

The Zanpakutou appeared to instantly melt just before it traveled down Elaina's right arm all the way down to her shoulder, the next second Elaina's right arm had been completely transformed. It was now considerably larger than a normal arm and it was covered in Dark Red Rock like scales and had claws on each finger with a dark blue glow coming from the elbow, knuckles, claws, palm, and the center of the back of the hand. On each side of the fore arm were spikes which stretched jus past the elbow.

Maximillion gave a mighty flap of his wings to lunge himself towards her at full speed and swung his axe down. _"So he's taking this seriously now, about damn time"_ Elaina thought to herself as she griped her right fist and intercepted the axe with a solid hook forcing them both back. Maximillion teleported behind her once again and he tried to split her skull open with the axe, however he felt a solid grip on his right wrist he looked down to see Elaina holding onto it with her transformed arm. "You depend far too much on this axe" she said smugly.

"How did you know I'd?" Maximillion asked in shock.

"Simple, I've learned that cowards like you love to attack your enemies from behind" Elaina answered "the flaw to your fighting style is that you **always** put the lethal force into your axe so you can absorb your enemy's soul which makes you pathetically predictable, I don't know what's more of a disgrace your style or the fact that you're a coward."

Suddenly Elaina's hand began to glow dark blue as she ripped off Maximillion's right hand and took his axe away. Maximillion tried to bite her in tow with his fangs but was forced back by a left hook from Elaina. Moments later Elaina threw the axe towards the ground causing it to crash into the beach below.

"Damn you!!!" Maximillion swore as his right hand regenerated.

"You've talked enough Maximillion, it's time to die" Elaina said darkly.

"We'll see about that" Maximillion said smugly just before several dozen hollows appeared surrounding Elaina from almost every angle "kill her" he commanded as he attempted to fly away.

"BASTARD!!!" Elaina shouted as they began to close in on her.

The temperature in the air began to drop as a familiar voice chanted "reign over the frosted frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!"

Several of the hollows were frozen and shattered by a dragon made of water and ice while the rest scattered alarmed by Toushirou's presence and his power. They were equally alarmed when they heard another voice chant "Every wave become my shield, every lightning become my blade, Sougyo No Kotowari" over a dozen hollows were destroyed revealing Jyuushiro Ukitake had arrived on the scene holding his hooked blades.

"Who the hell are they!?" Maximillion asked.

"Captain of the thirteenth squad, Jyuushiro Ukitake" Ukitake replied.

"Third seat of the same squad, Toushirou Hitsugaya" Toushirou replied coldly.

"So she had reinforcements all along" Maximillion hissed.

"No not really" Ukitake replied "we just came along in case you decided to pull some dirty trick."

"Like summoning a swarm of helpers" Toushirou added in annoyance as the survivors surrounded him and Ukitake.

"We'll handle them, focus on your target Elaina" Ukitake commanded "this won't take long."

"Thank you both" Elaina said in gratitude as she turned her eye to Maximillion "come on show me what you've got without the axe; that is if you have anything to show!!!"

Elaina flew towards Maximillion at full speed and punched her right arm forward, Maximillion punched forward with his left fist. When the two punches intercepted Maximillion's arm was destroyed down to the elbow, however his right hand grabbed her arm by the wrist and he used to opportunity to dig his horn into her left shoulder causing a large amount of blood to spew forth.

"As I thought your Zanpakutou is nothing more than brute force" Maximillion said smugly.

Toushirou watched as the hollow's horn dug into Elaina's shoulder just before he finished off the last of the lesser hollows "ELAINA" he shouted as he was about to fly off to her aid but Ukitake stopped him "Captain what the hell are you doing?!"

"You mustn't interfere, this is a battle of honor after all" Ukitake said calmly.

"Honor, what good is honor if she dies?!" Toushirou asked.

"Listen to me Toushirou" Ukitake said solemnly "right now Elaina is being driven by her desire to fight, and that's because right now she's fighting not just for her own honor but for the honor of her father; you must never forget what I'm about to tell you, there are two equally important types of battles for those of us who have chosen to become soldiers, the first is to protect the innocent, and the second is to protect one's honor...it's important that you always remember that."

Toushirou thought back to something that his previous captain had told him.

"_Why are you so concerned about honor Captain Tousen?" Toushirou asked as they finished their training session "I thought Justice was your calling?!"_

"_It is" Kaname answered._

"_So what's with the emphasis on personal honor then?" Toushirou asked._

"_Simple" Kaname replied "without honor there can be no justice what so ever" Kaname sensed that Toushirou was confused and said "don't worry you'll learn when the time is right."_

"But don't worry Toushirou" Ukitake said brining him back to the present "Elaina is very strong, I can assure you she won't lose."

"Any last words before you die?" Maximillion asked.

Elaina smirked before she chuckled "child's play is all you got, you continue to disappoint me Maximillion."

"Bold words" Maximillion chuckled and it began to rain heavily.

"Not really considering the fact that you've made a critical mistake" Elaina said smugly.

"Which would be?" Maximillion asked.

"My Zanpakutou isn't just a regular direct attack type, it has some potent kidou attributes as well" Elaina replied causing Maximillion's eyes to open widely as her right arm began to glow and he was suddenly forced back about forty yards by the force of her spiritual pressure.

"Impossible, I'm several times stronger now than when I was alive, so how can you?!" Maximillion asked.

"It's simple really" Elaina answered as her left arm fell limp and blood began to flow from her wound just before she began to slowly walk towards Maximillion with a smirk on her face "it's because it doesn't matter what you've been doing for the past sixty five years; you can get as big as you want and you can get as ugly as you want, but you still can't change one irrefutable fact" Elaina's right arm began to glow dark blue especially towards the fist

"DAMN YOU" Maximillion shouted as he flew towards her at full speed.

"This power was made to send guys like you back to Hell" Elaina said as she un-gripped her fist and punched forward. Maximillion's eyes shot open as a mass of dark blue energy came straight towards him in the shape of Elaina's transformed hand, he tried to block it with his arms but they were brushed aside as it grabbed his face. Maximillion tried to break free but it was pointless "good bye Maximillion" Elaina said as she clenched her fist and Maximillion was consumed in an explosion of energy. "It's over" Elaina breathed as she resealed Onitsume and sheathed it and began to focus on healing her shoulder wound.

"Not quite" Maximillion's voice called from the clearing smoke.

"Damn" Elaina swore as she turned to see a black mass of energy in the form of Maximillion flying towards her _"I can't draw Onitsume and there's no way I can dodge this!!!"_

"_Damn it we can't get there in time!!!"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as he and Ukitake attempted to save Elaina.

"DIE!!!" Maximillion shouted from about twelve feet away.

"Protect, Nehan" a voice both Maximillion and Elaina recognized as a shinigami appeared between the two holding the white and blue long sword in his left hand and a barrier appeared stopping Maximillion in his tracks "I must admit I've forgotten just how revolting a creature you really are Maximillion, I guess after sixty five years you just don't remember such details."

"Dad" Elaina said "why are you here."

"Are you kidding me?" Alexander asked "I could sense both your spiritual pressures all the way from Berlin, there was no way in Hell I could just stay there."

"DAMN YOU ALEXANDER DARK-HEART" Maximillion shouted.

"Choice last words" Alexander said coldly.

"What is this?" Ukitake asked as and Toushirou got in front of Elaina.

"Warlock Art Wraith Strike" Alexander answered "this technique allows a dying Warlock to put all their remaining power into one last attack, he'll be crossing over in less than half a minute."

"You bastard, why am I not surprised that you became a shinigami?!" Maximillion asked as the gates to hell appeared behind him and several chains wrapped around him "I guess nothing's changed."

"Tell me do you still not understand what my mother's smile meant?" Alexander asked.

"Dorothy's, smile?!" Maximillion asked.

"Yes her smile" Alexander said "mother understood better than most how much darkness and evil was in peoples' hearts even though she didn't possess the demonic eyes that you and I have, and yet still tried to see the best in everyone especially us; her smile was her way of showing her hope for us and for humanity as a whole!!!"

"Such insignificant" Maximillion said as he felt the chains pulling him towards the gates.

"YOU WILL NOT CALL IT 'INSIGNIFICANT'!!!" Alexander shouted with tears coming out of his eyes which were still demonic and his marks started to glow with a soft black light "I won't let you, I may carry more than a good share of the responsibility for what happened all those years ago, but that doesn't change the fact that YOU DECEIVED ALL OF US!!!" Maximillion growled as he tried to get through once more "NOW BE GONE!!!"

"DAMN YOU ALL!!!" Maximillion swore as he was dragged into hell by the chains and the gate slammed closed before disappearing.

Elaina chuckled before saying "I really got him" she then blacked out from blood loss and Alexander caught her before she could fall.

Ukitake and Toushirou looked at Alexander who threw Nehan into the beach below and shouted "Nurture Nehan!!!" before he flew towards the ground and placed Elaina into the healing light which began to slow her bleeding and mend her stomach bruises.

"That power won't be enough to close her wound" Toushirou said in concern "we need someone from squad four."

"I've already sent out word to one of their medics near Lisbon" Alexander said with concern even though his marks and eyes were still active "I'm glad I brought this with me" he pulled a first aid bundle out of his kimono and grabbed a roll of gauss "her wound appears to be fairly shallow so Nehan's powers and this should be enough to stop the bleeding."

"_He comes prepared" _Ukitake thought to himself as Alexander ripped off Elaina's sleeve and began to wrap her shoulder up.

Elaina woke up a couple moments later to see her self surrounded in small pool of white energy on the ground next to a familiar sword and a soft green light surrounding her body from the air. She looked over her body to see her stomach was exposed, her left sleeve was gone, and her left shoulder was bandaged up.

"So you're up" a young woman said as Elaina turned to her "fourth seat Dark-Heart she's up."

"Thank you" Alexander stated as he came to her and he still had his marks and eyes active "are you alright Elaina?"

"Yes" Elaina answered.

"You did well" Ukitake assured her as he and Toushirou came into view.

"I'm sorry" Elaina said causing everyone to look at her in confusion "I imagined you wanted to be the one to finish him off dad."

"Elaina don't worry about that" Alexander sighed in relief as the squad four medic finished her treatment.

"Take it easy on that left arm for a good day or two and you should be fine" she said before bowing to the officers and the Captain "I'm must return to my post."

"Thank you for your work" Alexander said as she flew off and he turned to Elaina "my old grudge with Maximillion isn't half as important as your well being, when I saw him coming after you the only concern I had was for your life, in those moments my revenge meant nothing to me so long as you were safe."

Elaina chuckled lightly before saying "thanks to your powers I'm still here."

"It wasn't my powers that saved you, it was **hers**" Alexander stated as he pointed to Nehan.

Elaina rolled her eyes as Alexander helped her up so she wouldn't have to put any stress on her left arm before saying "get over yourself, you saved me and you know it."

"Will you be heading back to Berlin?" Toushirou asked Alexander sealed Nehan and sheathed it _"those maternal instincts must be incredibly strong if they're over powering the influence of those marks on his behavior."_

"There is just one last thing I need to take care of first" Alexander answered as he turned to Maximillion's axe and drew Kokuhyou "all the souls of the people Maximillion killed both as a human and as a hollow are still trapped inside his devil's arm and the only way to free them is to destroy it."

"Will they all pass over into the Soul Society?" Ukitake asked.

"No" Alexander replied "since he killed them before absorbing their souls this will be the equivalence of killing someone from the Soul Society, so they won't cross over, they'll be reincarnated into this world."

"Grandma Dorothy to?" Elaina asked.

"Yeah" Alexander said solemnly "she's been trapped in there for sixty five years stuck in a never ending hell, and right now I'm the only one with the power to set her and all the others free."

"Can I help you?" Ukitake offered.

"No, the only thing that can permanently destroy a Devil's arm of this level is a very strong dark force, in other words **my **power is probably the only one that can do it" Alexander replied.

"_Come on let's put an end to this" Kokuhyou begged._

"Darkness spread across the universe and consume all evil, Kokuhyou" Alexander chanted as the blade turned from a katana to a long sword. Alexander disappeared with a shunpo and reappeared on the other side of the axe before he sealed his sword and sheathed it, moments later the axe blade split and Alexander used another shunpo to appear next to his Elaina.

Moments later countless light blue human shapes flew from the axe and covered the sky.

"There are so many" Toushirou stated.

"He was collecting souls for over a hundred years, so it's only natural there'd be so many" Elaina stated.

"Truly a tragedy" Ukitake stated as Alexander's marks and eyes returned to normal and the souls started fading with a smile across their "wait a minute I think one of them is coming here."

"What?" Alexander asked in surprise as he turned to see one of the fading souls was flying towards him and Elaina, the soul had the appearance of a woman in her early to mid forties, she was dressed in a dark sorcerer's robes, and her face had a warm smile covering it "mother" he said weakly.

"Grandma Dorothy" Elaina said in shock as the spirit embraced both her and Alexander, they were both left in shocked silence.

"Elaina, I saw everything you were incredible, your father raised you well" Dorothy said causing Elaina's eyes to open widely before she turned to her son "Alex, I'm very proud of you, I'm sorry I won't be around to meet anymore kids you have, but judging by how Elaina turned out they'll be fine."

"Mother, I'm so…" Alexander began but was cut off.

"You have nothing to apologize for; the blame doesn't belong with you but with us for allowing such a madness to consume our people and allowing it get to the point where a seventeen year old boy had to correct our mistakes" Dorothy said softly "if anything I should apologize to you" a tear came from her eyes "I'm sorry my son, please live well and don't blame yourself."

"I'll try" Alexander replied as Dorothy faded away with tears and a smile, Alexander turned to Elaina and said "I'm very proud of you."

*one year later-Seireitei*

"Gin I want answers and I want them now" Rangiku stated.

"Whatcha ya talkin bout Ran?" Gin asked.

"Don't play dumb with me, you've been following Toushirou around ever since that day in the diner" Rangiku replied.

"Like I said, I've gots no idea what yer talkin bout Ran" Gin said lightly "now I've gots to get back to ma squad."

"Wait a minute" Rangiku said as Gin disappeared with a shunpo _"What the hell are you up to Gin and why don't you ever tell me what you're thinking?"_

Suddenly a hell butterfly flew up to her face, she held up her hand and the butterfly landed, what she heard caused her eyes to shoot open.

"No way… he actually did it, I thought he was actually joking with me" Rangiku said in surprise as she rushed out of the squad three building.

Gin sensed Rangiku leaving the squad three grounds and smiled as he thought _"so you did it, good work kiddo." _

Rangiku made it to the office building where Toushirou claimed to be and sure enough she found him. He had gained a few of inches since he had joined the squads, his eyes were sterner and his hair had grown out a couple inches and was now incredibly wild as instead of just lying flat. But what caught Rangiku's eyes was the fact that both his face and what she could see of his arms were covered in bandages.

"Are you alright?" Rangiku asked in concern.

"Well the exam my captain used to test me was a little on the heavy side but I made it through" Toushirou replied lightly "at this point I guess I'm used to ridiculous and dangerous situations."

"So you passed?" Rangiku asked.

"Tell me, do you think my Captain would hand this out to just any random idiot?" Toushirou asked pointing to the badge on his left arm.

"I guess not so you'll be at the annual get together for Captains and their Lieutenant to discuss the state of the Soul Society and the World of the Living?" Rangiku replied.

"Of course" Toushirou answered "I **am** a Lieutenant now."

Author's notes: Okay this chapter took me longer than I thought it would. I'm afraid I have final exams next weeks so it'll be a while before I can update this unfortunately. Until then please leave a review, I'd love hear which squad you think Toushirou is now the Lieutenant of, and if you're ever on Deviant Art do a search for Bleach Frozen Savior and see the artwork I have up (hopefully by the time you're reading this I'll have two pieces up); unfortunately I'm probably a better writer than I am an artist. Until the next chapter take care of yourselves.

**Zanpakutou Profile: Onitsume**

Release command: "Snap his/her/their neck(s)"

Translation: Demon Claw

Description: After the release command Elaina's Zanpakutou appears to liquefy and cover her right arm transforming it making it considerably larger than normal, it's covered in thick dark red scales, each finger gains incredibly strong claws, and the joints possess a dark blue glow. When released Onitsume give Elaina an incredible boost in raw punching power but it also appears to have the ability repeal opponents with it's strong spiritual pressure and it can generate a larger phantom version of itself allowing Elaina to strike her enemies from a distance. If you've played Devil May Cry 4 you can probably guess that this Zanpakutou was inspired by Nero's Devil Bringer.


	9. Noble' Ambition

Author's Notes: Alright finals are over and I've got my first chapter for the summer up. Hopefully I'll be able to update more often (the key word here is 'hopefully' sorry but I never know what kind of crap my dad's going to get me caught up in.)

Please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review.

**Ch. 9 'Noble' Ambition**

"We're here, I'll be out as soon as this annoying farce is done with, don't do anything to embarrass me Rangiku!" Gojou commanded sternly as they arrived at the lobby of the Seireitei's central command. 

"Don't worry Captain I won't" Rangiku said just before he huffed rudely and went through the doorway to the Captain's meetings _"moral of this story, __**never**__ ever accept a promotion while drunk."_

"So he hasn't arrived yet" Rangiku whispered as she looked around and the courtyard and saw Nanao and Saskibe talking as she walked up to them and out of the corner of her eye she saw Oomaeda stuffing his face with rice cakes.

"Miss Matsumoto how are you doing?" Saskibe asked politely.

"I'm fine, did you all here that we have a new college?" Rangiku asked.

"The head captain informed me" Saskibe replied.

"But I haven't heard who it is" Nanao stated as she adjusted her glasses.

"Didn't your captain try to find out?" Rangiku asked.

"He did, but he…" Nanao replied weakly "...after the third hair brained attempt he couldn't get the Captain in question to even acknowledge his presence."

"Oh he could've just asked me or Captain Ukitake then" Rangiku chuckled earning her a curious look from both Saskibe and Nanao "it's Captain Ukitake's former third seat."

"I see" Nanao replied "he must truly be an impressive…"

"Yay I have a new playmate" a squeaky cut her off "and he's almost the same size as me."

The three lieutenants turned to see Yachiru riding on Toushirou's back and he was in the middle of a futile attempt to throw her off, to the side they saw Kenpachi Zaraki making his way through the doors at a bored pace.

"_Did my Captain really just sneak through the door in the middle of the commotion?" _Toushirou thought _"Damn he's good…"_ Yachiru propped her arms and her chin on top of Toushirou's head "get off of me" he said in utter annoyance.

"Oh come on frosty loosen up or you won't last long" Yachiru said happily.

"DID YOU JUST CALL ME FROSTY!?" Toushirou asked.

"It would seem you're adjusting to your new post well" Ukitake stated softly as he and Toushirou's former colleagues arrived including Kiyone, Sentarou, and Elaina "sadly since a number of our lieutenant seats are currently vacant some captains are bringing some of their seated officers instead."

"Hi Yachiru" Elaina said happily as she knelt down to the pink haired lieutenant who was piggy backing on the silver haired lieutenant with a smile as Kiyone and Sentarou got into another one of their idiotic squabbles and Ukitake went in to meet his colleagues.

"How you doing Jugs and how's Dark Boy?" Yachiru asked delighted.

"We're good, thanks for asking" Elaina replied.

"Did she just call you 'Jugs' and refer to your father as 'Dark Boy'?" Toushirou asked in shock at the girl's lack of propriety.

"That's her thing, she loves to go around and give amusing and inappropriate nicknames to people" Elaina answered "but I can't help but like her, after all she was always fine with me using her subordinates to get some practice using Onitsume as long as I gave her an oversized lollipop."

"And the offer's open to you at **any** time" Yachiru said before she looked to her left and jumped to her right and said "incoming Frosty."

"Huh?" Toushirou replied before he felt himself pulled into a hug from his left side.

"Were you just planning to ignore me while we wait for our captains?" Rangiku asked "you're so mean."

"Rangiku" Toushirou said in annoyance as Yachiru and Elaina began to chuckle.

"Yes?" Rangiku asked.

"The reason I sent you the hell butterfly was so you wouldn't humiliate me in public" Toushirou stated.

"When did I agree to that?" Rangiku asked.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore.

Rangiku released him and said "you need to loosen up, otherwise you'll end up just like your captain."

"Rangiku show some respect" Nanao said as she and Saskibe came up "I'm Nanao Ise, squad eight."

"Saskibe Choujirou, squad one" Saskibe said respectfully "I see you've already met squad ten's Rangiku Matsumoto and squad eleven's Yachiru Kusajishi."

"I have" Toushirou replied as he extended his hand "Toushirou Hitsugaya, squad six."

"He seems to get acquainted with people quite quickly" Aizen said softly as he, Gin, and Kaname appeared followed by several of their officers including Alexander and Momo.

"Yer somethin else kiddo" Gin said slyly "keep up the good wirk."

"Congratulations" Kaname said "you've come far since the day you joined my squad, I imagine you'll be joining us behind those doors within the next ten or fifteen years."

"Thank you" Toushirou replied as they headed towards the meeting and he looked to his side to see an upset looking Momo "something you want to say?"

"Yah why did you tell lieutenant Matsumoto about your promotion when you didn't even tell me you were taking Captain Kuchki's Lieutenant's test?" Momo asked "I mean look at you, your arms are covered in bandages and you could've died taking that man's test!!!"

"Byakun knows how to make a fun test, most people chicken out after twenty seconds, it's been years since anyone even made it to the sparring match, let alone actually passing it" Yachiru said happily.

"You're not the boss of me Momo, and in case you're wondering the only reason I kept Rangiku informed was because I was hoping she wouldn't humiliate me in front of my new colleagues" Toushirou said bluntly ignoring Yachiru "If it makes you feel any better it didn't pan out."

"That's not the point; Captain Kuchki is supposed to be the most cold hearted shinigami in the thirteen squads, they say he kills anyone he faces without even the slightest display of emotion, and that he never shows even the slightest emotion" Momo half shouted as Toushirou just looked at her in boredom "I mean he's nothing like…"

"Captain Aizen" Toushirou said in perfect sync with Momo "Momo, you're so predictable it's actually pathetic, I mean you've been comparing people to Captain Aizen ever since we joined" Toushirou gestured to Alexander and Elaina who were both holding orbs of black spirit energy in their palms "I don't know if you've realized it but you've been talking about Captain Aizen as if he's some sort of deity, I hate to break this to you but Captain Aizen **is** flawed just like Captain Kuchki."

Everyone was silent for a few seconds before Yachiru leapt on Toushirou's back and knocked him to the ground before she squealed "yay Byakun has a new friend."

"Get off me" Toushirou said coldly as he pushed himself up and he looked at Nanao before asking "is she always like this?"

"Pretty much" Nanao answered.

Toushirou saw Momo watching Alexander and Elaina with a concerned look and he could tell that she was honestly afraid of them both _"I better not tell her about Youmei…"_

Eventually Yachiru got off of Toushirou, and the Lieutenants and other officers got caught up in small talk about what's been going on in their respective squads. Toushirou made his way over to Alexander and asked "any idea what they're going to announce?"

"My guess is we'll be sending more soldiers to Vietnam" Alexander sighed "I spent a couple of months there last year" he began to shake his head.

"I've heard it's bad" Toushirou stated.

"You have no idea" Alexander replied "I tell you it's bad, and this is coming from a man who saw **both** world wars up front."

"The people in the world of the living sure aren't going to make our lives easy" Toushirou sighed.

"They never do" Elaina sighed "but I don't think you'll have it too bad, for the most part squad six tends to stay in the soul society to keep the peace."

"But you could be called in for special missions or if a Menos is cited" Alexander replied "and since you're a lieutenant you'll be stuck with a limiter."

"I asked Captain Ukitake to put one on me a couple of months before you joined squad thirteen when I was sent out on a mission in Sydney just to know what it's like…" Elaina added "…trust me it sucks, I mean all I wanted to do to those low life hollows was break their faces in half with my bare hands, but I couldn't do it without releasing my sword…it was nightmare."

"And you were a medic?!" Momo asked.

"That's a funny thing about medicinal education" Elaina replied lightly "while you learn a few tricks about saving lives, you also learn over a dozen ways to **take** lives at the same time, ironic isn't it?"

"It is ironic" Toushirou stated before he whispered "she's trying to freak you out for laughs, don't worry if you end up working with her she won't let anything bad happen to you."

"Unless you talk shit about my family" Elaina whispered in "do that and I'll send a surge of energy through your nervous system causing multiple organ-failure."

Toushirou put his hand to Momo's lips before saying "this is just her way of getting kicks, don't respond, just be grateful that we grew up in the **good** side of Rukongai" as Elaina went over to talk to Isane.

"Why are you so disturbed by Elaina and her dad?" Rangiku asked.

"When did get here?" Toushirou asked.

"It's just that they both behave so strangely" Momo answered and Toushirou had a very annoyed expression at being ignored "the daughter's bad enough but I've heard that the father often talks about strangling his opponents to death with their own organs or beating them to death with their own severed limbs."

"That's because his powers stimulate the brain nodes that deal with dark and **completely **sadistic thoughts, it's not his fault, Hell I once saw him over come that influence" Toushirou explained "and when his life **isn't **in danger and he's **not **doing something that requires spirit energy he's as close to normal as anyone else your likely to meet in this line of work" he saw Alexander talking to a purple haired woman who's kimono cut off at the knees "who is that woman?"

"Oh that's Nemu Kurotsuchi of squad twelve" Rangiku replied "Nice girl but she really needs to socialize more."

"She's Mayuri Kurotsuchi's daughter so I wouldn't exactly expect her to be a social butterfly" Toushirou replied _"I wonder what the hell she's talking to Alex about, he's always spoken of Mayuri as an evil bastard who he wouldn't hesitate to kill if given a good enough excuse." _

"I'm sorry Lieutenant it's a worthwhile endeavor, but I'm afraid I can't help you" Alexander sighed.

"But this could prevent incidents like what happened to the Quincy and your own clan from happening again" Nemu replied in confusion.

"I know but the problem is that I'm a shinigami so my spirit energy is worthless for your research, when I gained my first Zanpakutou my spirit energy mutated and gained the ability to cleanse hollows" Alexander stated as he half-way drew Kokuhyou "I'm glad someone in the department of research and development is interested in finding away for people with powers who aren't shinigami to cleanse hollows, what you need is a person from the world of the living with powers who can't purify souls."

"Like another Warlock or a Quincy?" Nemu asked.

"Yeah, the problem is that to my knowledge **pure** Warlocks and Quincy are both extinct" Alexander answered "I'll tell you what, I'll ask my contacts and subordinates to keep their eyes out for someone in the world of the living with enough spirit energy to help you but I have one condition."

"What's that?" Nemu asked.

"Whoever we find keep them **far** away from your father" Alexander answered as they heard the unmistakable sound of large doors opening.

"So they're finally done" Toushirou stated.

"I've always wondered why they take so long" Rangiku added lightly "you think they have some sort of drinking party in there while they make us stand around outside?"

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, please" Momo begged not wanting to think of Aizen getting wasted behind their backs.

"Toushirou we're done here" Byakuya said as he appeared right behind them causing Rangiku and Momo to leap in surprise.

"How'd it go captain?" Toushirou asked.

"Our squad is going to continue maintaining order within the soul society" Byakuya answered.

Momo noticed a bandage on Byakuya's left cheek and asked "how did you get injured Captain Kuchki, I heard you came back from your last mission unharmed."

Byakuya didn't answer and Rangiku asked Toushirou "did you do that."

"_Toushirou injured a Captain?!" _Momo thought _"impossible, __**what is he**__?!"_

"It was a sparring match and we both got carried away" Toushirou replied as he rolled up his right sleeve revealing his arm covered in bandages "he nearly shredded my arms and torso, and I managed to give him a cut on the cheek before I passed out; a couple hours later I woke up in Captain Unohana's hospital to find this badge on my bedside table" he said as he pointed to the badge on his left arm.

"Byakun, we need to go somewhere to celebrate Frosty's promotion" Yachiru squealed happily as she grabbed Toushirou's left arm and Byakuya's right arm.

"Byakun?" Toushirou stated in a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

"Frosty?" Byakuya stated in his usual emotionless tone.

Both their expressions were their normal blank expressions but you could tell they were both thinking 'you to?' and 'wait for it.'

A couple of seconds later Yachiru let go of both Byakuya and Toushirou's sleeves to swing forward. Right after she landed, she felt a strong breeze on both sides of her face as both Byakuya and Toushirou used shunpo to make their get away.

"Oh Byakun and Frosty ran away" Yachiru sighed.

"Wow, he's only been a lieutenant for a few days and he's already gotten a great sync going with his captain" Rangiku chuckled.

"Rangiku we're leaving now" Gojou said sternly as he appeared behind his lieutenant causing her leap in shock.

"Seems theres plenty of excitement going on today" Aizen said softly as the squad ten leaders left.

"Captain did Toushirou **really** injure Captain Kuchki?" Momo asked.

"Yes it's quite the accomplishment, and to think he's only been with the thirteen squads for about three years" Aizen replied with a smile _"give him a few years and he'll be the perfect tool for my plans."_

"I just can't believe it, a few years ago all he did was sit around our house and eat watermelon all day and now he's the lieutenant of squad six" Momo stated as she and Aizen started to head back to the Fifth squad.

"And he could become a Captain within the next couple of decades" Aizen added _"that will be his reward."_

"A captain, do you really mean that?" Momo asked.

"I do, his abilities are impressive and they seem to just keep growing stronger" Aizen answered _"but if they get too strong I might have to use you to neutralize him as a threat Momo."_

Byakuya and Toushirou arrived in front of the squad six office building, Toushirou sighed in relief before saying "thanks for not telling them about my Bankai, Captain Kuchki."

"I would advise you to work on perfecting it before you rely on it in combat or even think about taking the Captain's exam" Byakuya said with his usual monotonous tone.

_**Flashback**_

Toushirou was standing in the middle of a large field holding his released Hyourinmaru. His Kimono was in shreds his left leg was exposed, his top was completely gone, his arms and torso were covered in cuts, and was breathing heavily with a large cut on his forehead which was spilling blood over his left eye. About twenty yards away stood Byakuya Kuchki unscratched surrounded by what appeared to be countless flower petals but were in fact the many blades of his Bankai.

"Are you done yet?" Byakuya asked.

Toushirou swung his blade sending an ice dragon racing towards the Captain, however a stream of blades struck it right in the middle of the mouth causing the dragon to explode in fragments of ice followed by a large number of blades.

"I'll admit that your skills and the abilities of your zanpakutou live up to your reputation" Byakuya stated "and though it took you several tries you did manage to stop my shikai by freezing the blade of my Senbonzakura, however at your current level you lack what it takes to make it past Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, right now you can't even hope to wound me."

Toushirou let out a very soft chuckle before asking "are you sure about that?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow "I'll admit I probably can't **beat** you but you shouldn't underestimate someone when they haven't shown you **everything **they can do."

"Have you been hiding something?" Byakuya asked.

"Yeah, granted it'll probably only last about half a minute, but it's worth a shot" Toushirou said as his eyes began to glow, a snow white aura began to emanate from his body and his spiritual pressure began to rise sharply.

"It can't be…" Byakuya said calmly.

"Bankai" Toushirou said softly.

"_That's his Bankai?!" _Byakuya though in confusion as Toushirou lunged towards him and a number of blades swarmed the boy from both sides, some froze and fell to the ground but most struck their target. Seconds later the boy appeared in front of the captain and stabbed his blade forward cutting into Byakuya's left cheek.

"Well what do you know, I wounded you" Toushirou half chuckled as his Bankai shattered in a shower of ice and he fell forward.

Byakuya looked at the child lying unconscious on the ground _"I see it makes sense…the unstable flow of spirit energy, the Bankai's appearance, and the time limit; it must mean that his Bankai is…"_

_**End Flashback**_

"I understand, I got a little carried away" Toushirou sighed as one of their officers came up to greet them.

She had the appearance of a woman in her early to mid twenties, dark blue eyes, and dark red hair with a braided pony tail that reached halfway down her torso and her bangs were tied into braids on both sides of her face. The blade of her Zanpakutou was somewhere in between the a dagger and a normal Zanpakutou in length, it didn't have a guard, its handle was the same shade of blue as her eyes, it was made of wood, and it blended into the sheath on the right side of her waist.

"Captain Kuchki, Lieutenant Hitsugaya, how'd it go?" she asked with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"As expected fifth seat Rammyaku" Byakuya replied coolly as headed for his office.

"Youmei" Toushirou said as their captain closed the door to his office.

"Sir?" Youmei replied in a jittery voice.

"If lieutenants Kusajishi or Matsumoto show up, me and the captain **are not** here" Toushirou said as he went to see the other seated officers.

"Understood sir" Youmei replied.

*Squad Ten Captain's office*

Gojou was reading through the latest squad evaluations with a large scowl on his face as he made a list. When he was done he read the latest status reports on the Shihouin and Shiba Clans which caused him to grin happily.

"Without capable heads I'll easily replace one of them as the one of the four great noble families" Gojou chuckled as he opened an envelope from the department of research and development which caused his face to contort with rage before he softly swore "worthless worm" under his breath as he exited his office and disappeared with a shunpo.

Rangiku was drinking happily with Nanao, Isane, and Kiyone in a pleasant bar not far from her office.

"And then the losey bum left me with aboot a dozen stakz of papa wirk on ma birthday as he took a nap" Nanao swore with a blush before she lost consciousness on their table.

"Is she alright?" Isane asked as Kiyone just laughed "I mean I've never heard of some kind of tea doing this."

"That's because I spiked her tea with sake" Rangiku chuckled "she's so much funnier when she's drunk."

"Rangiku that's mean" Isane replied as her sister just started laughing even louder.

Suddenly the atmosphere in the bar became incredibly tense _"Oh please not now"_ Rangiku thought as she looked over her shoulder to see her Captain standing behind her with his usual arrogant air.

"Rangiku we have some subordinates who have fallen behind their expected performance standards" Gojou said sternly as he handed her the list "I want you to tell them they have three options; they can get their work back up to standards, they can leave my squad, or they can die."

"Sir you have our third through fifth seats on this list" Rangiku said in surprise.

"They aren't performing up to my expectations and if they want to keep their jobs they better shape up or ship out" Gojou replied.

"But sir these seats aren't easy to replace" Rangiku stated.

"Then hopefully they'll choose to shape up" Gojou said with a tone of finality as he left with a shunpo.

"I don't envy you" Isane stated.

Rangiku looked to the bartender before asking "you got anything stronger than sake?"

"Sorry Lieutenant but you've already got our strongest liquor" the barkeep shouted back.

"Damn it" Rangiku sighed.

"Rangiku" Isane said softly.

"Hah, hah, you're captain's got ya on a short leash" Kiyone chuckled before she fell to the ground.

"Don't worry It'll be fine" Rangiku replied as she looked at Nanao and said "I should probably stop spiking Nanao's tea though she might hate me for it."

*Mayuri Kurotsuchi's office(that large creepy room with an organ like computer system)*

"What is the meaning of this Mayuri?" Gojou asked angrily "I went through your process only to have my request denied…by you no less!!!"

"What can I say" Mayuri replied callously "I decided to withhold the data from you since I know that you would to do something stupid with it and it would ultimately be me who would have to deal with all the fallout."

Gojou chuckled darkly before saying "is that so?"

"Exactly" Mayuri answered.

"Do you know what I'm trying to achieve Mayuri?" Gojou asked darkly.

"I don't really care" Mayuri replied bluntly.

"I intend to have my family replace either the Shihouin or the Shiba clan among the four great noble families, but to do that I need more than just simple wealth, I also need more power in order to distinguish the Ikari household to the greatest extent possible" Gojou explained.

Mayuri smiled in amusement before asking "so that's why you want **that** data, isn't it?"

"That's correct" Gojou answered "so what do you say?"

"I still don't care" Mayuri replied as he turned around and began to walk off.

"Is that your final answer?" Gojou asked.

"You're not worth the trouble Ikari" Mayuri said as he made a jester with his left arm only to suddenly feel it severed from his body as Gojou rushed past him with a shunpo and his drawn Zanpakutou _"I knew I should've brought Nemu along, she'd make such an excellent shield…"_

"In that case I'm not asking, I'm telling" Gojou said coldly as he swung his sword to remove the blood from the blade "that you **will** give me what I want you worm!!!"

"Such a nuisance" Mayuri sighed as he pulled out a syringe and injected his left shoulder just before his arm grew back.

"You're still not going to give me what I want, are you?" Gojou said sternly as Mayuri drew his sword.

"This conversation is over Ikari" Mayuri said simply before he chanted "claw out Ashisogi Jizou" his zanpakutou changed to into its strange trident like weapon with what appeared to be a golden baby face at the base of the three blades with a strange purple smoke pouring from the mouth.

Gojou smirked before he chanted "Grace us, Soratsubaki (Sky Camellia)" the blade shortened and curved out into a broad sword shape, there was a curved design across the blade with a dark shade of green towards the back and a lighter shade towards the edge, and five camellia engravings across the blade with two on the darker side and three on the brighter side; the guard was white and resembled a camellia in shape and the handle had turned a solid right green color.

Mayuri swung his sword sending a large fog of purple gas towards Gojou. Gojou focused his spirit energy into his blade and swung it horizontally launching a large gust of wind which blew the gas away cut into Mayuri's body at several points causing some blood to shoot out. Mayuri looked at his fellow captain with an expression of annoyance as he threw several jars towards Gojou. Gojou swung his blade horizontally again sending another large gust of wind blowing the jars away causing them to crash into the ground and the gases drifted away and the liquids merely puddle up.

"It's useless Mayuri" Gojou stated "all your poisonous gases and liquids must travel through the air if you want them to reach me and as you can see my Zanpakutou gives me control over the wind rendering your little trick worthless; now give me the documents I want!"

"Fine then, I'll just…" Mayuri began but was cut off.

"Don't even think about it Kurotsuchi, you and I both know you're no good at close quarters unless you have that little freak of a daughter of yours hold someone down" Gojou stated "face it your no match for me."

Mayuri was furious at this point as he yelled "why you arrogant little bastard!!!" he held his weapon in front of his face and said "if that's what you want then I'll just kill you right here and now!" Mayuri began to laugh hysterically "Bankai, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou."

"Such a disgusting creature" Gojou stated as the large caterpillar like creature with a golden baby's head and several blades sticking out of its chest.

"Still want to push me?" Mayuri asked.

"This is getting me nowhere" Gojou said in annoyance as he disappeared in a shunpo.

"So he left" Mayuri said smugly.

"Let's see if this changes your tone" Gojou said as Mayuri turned to see him standing in front of several large isles of specimens.

"GET AWAY FROM THERE!!!" Mayuri shouted just before Gojou swung his blade vertically sending a jet of wind rushing through one of the isles destroying any specimens in the way "DAMN YOU!!!"

"Don't even think about it" Gojou stated "I can just blow your gases away and you know as well as I do that I **can** dodge a direct attack by your Bankai and that you **can't **stop it fast enough to prevent the destruction of more of your specimens; if you want this to stop, you know what to do."

"Fine" Mayuri half shouted as he sheathed his sword and his Bankai disappeared, moments later he appeared with a few black note books and handed them to Gojou.

"Excellent" Gojou said as he skimmed through one of them with a grin "I'll be on my way now."

"I hope you rot" Mayuri hissed as Gojou left.

"_You're moving just as I predicted Gojou" _Aizen thought in amusement as he observed in secrecy.

*Squad Six Office building*

"Here are the reports you and Captain Kuchki asked for" Youmei said nervously as she handed Toushirou some papers.

"Excellent work, ahead of schedule as usual" Toushirou replied "good work."

"It's nothing" Youmei said slightly embarrassed.

"_Stop being so modest and take the freaking credit, you busted your ass off…__**again**__" _A voice echoed in Youmei's head.

"Are you alright, Youmei?" Toushirou asked.

"Oh I'm fine" Youmei replied with a weak smile before her expression turned to fear as saw Gojou Ikari walk up to them.

"Where is captain Kuchki?" Gojou asked.

"He asked not to be disturbed" Toushirou answered "he said he would be back in a few minutes."

"That's not what I'm asking" Gojou replied threateningly.

"Sorry about that Captain, but we have our orders" Toushirou said before looking Gojou in the eyes without even the slightest signs of fear.

"_Is this piece of Rukongai trash looking down on me?!" _Gojou thought angrily to himself.

"My apologies Captain Ikari" Youmei said nervously "If you like I could take you to the waiting room and get you some tea."

"I don't need any pampering from a disowned noble!" Gojou said harshly.

"I'm sorry" Youmei replied.

"You should be" Gojou continued "if you still had any pride you'd have killed yourself along time ago you no good…"

"Captain Ikari you are out of line" Toushirou said calmly "If you need to speak to our captain I recommend you wait for him until he's ready to speak to you."

"Why you little…" Gojou hissed.

"What are you doing here Ikari?" Byakuya asked as he seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"I wanted to talk to you" Gojou replied "but I was annoyed by these vermin."

"If you want to talk to me I suggest you speak with me when we both have time, otherwise I'd appreciate it if you would **stop** harassing my officers in the mean time" Byakuya stated coldly not even looking his fellow captain in the eye "now did you have anything important to talk to me about?"

"No nothing at all" Gojou replied as turned to leave _"why won't he even acknowledge me after all these years?!"_

"Thank you Captain Kuchki" Youmei said with a smile as Byakuya walked off.

"Are you alright?" Toushirou asked.

"Yeah I'm fine lieutenant" Youmei lied.

"Don't let what he said get to you" Toushirou stated "he was out of line."

"Lieutenant you do know why I was disowned by my family right?" Youmei asked.

"Of course I do, as the lieutenant of squad six I have access to your records" Toushirou answered "I know all about your little **roommate**."

"Then why are you and Captain Kuchki so kind to me?" Youmei asked.

"I'm from Rukongai so I don't even have a drop of noble blood in my veins so I don't really care about some scum bag nobles" Toushirou answered "as for the Captain my guess is he only cares about the fact that you're a capable officer."

"Thank you" Youmei replied.

"Although" Toushirou added and she looked at him "If I were in your position, I'd want to show them up, I'd be hell-bent to keep raising through the chain of command until I became a captain just to rub it in their faces."

"But sir, even if I wanted to I don't know anyone who could help me with Bankai training…and I don't know if I could" Youmei said.

"If you decide to you want to try, talk to the fourth seat of squad nine and the sixth seat of squad thirteen, tell them I sent you" Toushirou replied "trust me five minutes with them and you'll feel like your **completely** normal by comparison."

"I'll think about it…" Youmei answered.

"_Come on do it, it sounds like a hell of a good time!!!" _A voice chuckled in her head.

*Squad ten officers' gathering two days later*

"I have a new announcement" Gojou declared "from this day forward these areas of the office building are now off limits to everyone unless you receive explicit permission from me."

"Sir you're declaring a quarter of the whole building off limits, what are you going to do with it" the third seat asked and the fourth and fifth seat nodded in shared curiosity.

"That's of no concern to you" Gojou answered crudely "now everyone get back to your posts, I've got work to do."

"I can't stand that man" the female fourth seat swore "how do you deal with him Lieutenant?"

"Give you a hint, there's a lot of sake involved" Rangiku answered earning her a laugh from her colleagues.

"Rangiku can I talk to you for a moment?" Toushirou asked causing Rangiku and the others to jump in surprise.

"Sure why not" Rangiku said with a chuckle as she felt he heart rate return to normal and the other officers left for their posts "So what can I do for you, get you some liquor, help you prank someone, give you some pointers on dating?"

"No that's not why I'm here" Toushirou answered in annoyance "I wanted to advise you to transfer out of squad ten."

"What?" Rangiku replied in shock.

"I don't know what, but Ikari's definitely up to something" Toushirou stated "and I'm certain it's nothing good."

"Because he's closed off a quarter of the squad ten administrative building?" Rangiku asked.

"That and the fact according to Nemu, captain Ikari and Kurotsuchi got into a fight a couple days ago over some **research**" Toushirou answered.

"What kind of research?" Rangiku asked.

"I don't know" Toushirou replied "but if it came from Mayuri Kurotsuchi there's no way it can be good."

"So you want me to transfer to another squad?" Rangiku asked.

"It's not like I'm asking you to take a demotion" Toushirou stated "Several squads have open Lieutenant seats."

"I'm sorry but my place is here in the tenth squad" Rangiku replied causing Toushirou to raise an eyebrow "these people are my subordinates, and they're like family to me."

"Rangiku" Toushirou said in confusion.

"But I'll tell you what" Rangiku stated "I'll keep an eye on the captain; if I get anything solid I'll let you and the other officers now."

"Just promise me you'll be careful" Toushirou said sternly.

"Ah I'm so touched that you're worried about me" Rangiku chuckled as she pulled Toushirou into one of her bear hugs.

"Let go of me Rangiku" Toushirou ordered in annoyance as he saw Gojou come out from the room and the two locked eyes _"and I'll be keeping my own eyes on you."_

*Later that night*

Gojou was reading through the notebooks he had received from Mayuri _"so according to his research I should be able to carry out the first attempt in about ten or twenty years, providing the set up goes smoothly."_

"My ya've really changed things around here" Gin said in amusement.

"Get out of here Ichimaru" Gojou said calmly "I'm not interested in talking to you about how I run my squad."

"Come na I'm not here ta talk about that" Gin replied "I just wanted ta give ya a little advise."

"Then be out with it you low life" Gojou barked in annoyance.

"If you so much as attempt to hurt Rangiku, I can guarantee you'll meet a swift and horrible death" Gin said plainly.

"Are you threatening me?" Gojou asked.

"Like I said, I'm just here ta warn ya" Gin said "the choice ta take it or ignore it is ya's."

Author's notes: and that's chapter's Nine for you, HOPEFULLY I'll be able to update more often now that classes are over. Until then please leave a review and if you need some food for thought ask yourself this question "A man without a conscience and a god complex has just wrapped himself in some research by Mayuri Kurotsuchi, what could possibly go wrong?(I'd love to hear your theories)" and if you need more read the profile for Youmei at the bottom of the page. I'll probably have Toushirou take his Captain's seat in the next chapter or the one after that. And then a mission for the 'new' squad ten which will reveal Alexander Dark-Heart's past and how he ended up with two unique Zanpakutou.

**Zanpakutou Profile: Soratsubaki**

Translation: Sky Camellia

Release Command: "Grace us"

Soratsubaki possesses the power to manipulate wind which allowed Gojou Ikari to easily deal with poisonous gasses and projectiles, it also allows him to attack enemies from a relatively safe distance.

**Character Profile: Youmei Rammyaku**

Hair: Dark Red

Eyes: Dark Blue

Sex: Female

Current Position: Fifth Seat of Squad Six

Profile: Youmei at one point was a member of a noble household until she was disowned for a yet to be revealed reason (if you want hints re-read the section where she and Toushirou talked after Gojou left, and consider this; her given name Youmei means order and her last name Rammyaku means chaos). As a result of this abandonment she has some issues with her self confidence even though she holds an excellent performance record and was personally picked by Byakuya Kuchki for her position.


	10. Family Ties

Warning: This chapter contains tragedy, blood, and the most violent scene so far in this fan fiction.

I don't own Bleach or Devil May Cry

Please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review

**Ch. 10 Family Ties**

"Lieutenant Hitsugaya, we're getting slaughtered on the North end!" a shinigami shouted while nursing his bleeding arm.

"I'm on it, go get your wound treated" Toushirou ordered before he rushed through the streets towards the North. _"Damn it this is a mess!!!"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as he cut his way through dozens of hollows, many of the buildings around him were either collapsed or on fire _"Please be alright."_

*Ten hours earlier*

It was a calm and peaceful day (by Seireitei standards), the weather was bright and cheerful, and for the most part the entire city seemed to be running rather smoothly. Toushirou had been left in charge of the sixth squad because Byakuya had been out on a mission outside Rukongai.

"Alright everyone Captain Kuchki is scheduled to get back from his mission tonight, so I want this place in tip top shape by the end of the day" Toushirou ordered "I want to know about any significant problems, is that understood?"

"Sir" the officers replied before they left for their station.

A couple of hours later Toushirou had finished filing the reports, Toushirou turned his attention towards the clock on the wall before sighing and thinking _"three, two, one"_ as he walked headed out the door and said "No, Captain Kuchki isn't back yet; unless you have official business please leave" Gojou Ikari was speechless as the silver haired lieutenant walked past him.

"You better watch yourself boy" Gojou hissed as Toushirou began to walk away "or I'll have you reported."

Toushirou stopped and looked back at the older man with a cold expression in his eyes before saying simply "if I catch you harassing any of my subordinates, I'll report you to the Head Captain; now tell me how do you think that'll make you look in the eyes of the nobility?"

"_Damn this kid!!!"_ Gojou swore in his mind.

"I advise you to leave now" Toushirou stated as he headed towards the exit.

"_Why Captain Kuchki?"_ Gojou asked himself _"Why have you never acknowledged me, even when I became a Captain and yet you've made this filth your Lieutenant and you promoted that woman when you know __**what**__ she is…I just don't get it."_

Toushirou checked on his officers' statuses throughout the squad six section the Seireitei. The third and fourth seats were both ahead of their own schedules which caused Toushirou to crack a smile for a moment before he made his way to Youmei's post.

"Everything's going smoothly Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Youmei said cheerfully as Toushirou appeared.

"You seem to be doing well" Toushirou said plainly _"I'm glad I got rid of Ikari before he came here."_

"Thanks" Youmei replied happily before saying nervously "I appreciate what you did for me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Toushirou lied simply.

Youmei smiled softly as she looked to the skies to the west and said "there appears to be a storm brewing."

Toushirou nodded at the dark clouds and said "yeah, let's try to get everything done before our soldiers end up looking like drowned rats."

"Sir" Youmei replied before a small insect caught her eyes "Lieutenant look."

"A Hell Butterfly?!" Toushirou replied _"and just when everything was going so smoothly…"_

"ATTENTION!!! HOLLOWS SPOTTED IN THE WESTERN RUKONGAI!!!" a voice boomed throughout the squad six section.

"_Western Rukongai?!"_ Toushirou thought _"it can't be…"_

"SQUAD SIX IS HEREBY ORDERED TO HEAD FOR THE FIRST DISTRICT, JUNRINAN!!!" the voice echoed.

"Junrinan?!" Toushirou gasped.

"Sir?" Youmei replied in confusion.

"Move out now!!!" Toushirou ordered causing Youmei to break off in a mad dash with dozens of soldiers following her _"Granny…please be okay."_

*End flashback*

"Lieutenant are you heading North?" Youmei asked as she slashed a hollow.

"Yeah" Toushirou replied as Youmei leapt down to the street next to him.

"Why are you so worked up sir?" Youmei asked "this isn't like you."

"My grandmother's house is on the north end of town" Toushirou growled as the section of town came into view and rain began to fall; there were countless hollows flooding the streets and the skies, dozens of shinigami were lying either dead or injured on the ground. "Damn it" Toushirou swore as he leapt into the fray.

"I'll cover you" Youmei said frantically before thinking _"he's losing his cool."_

"_Hey cupcake don't you think you better help him before he does something stupid and gets himself killed?" _a voice asked lightly.

Youmei snapped back to reality and said "Strike, Aoibara (Blue Rose)" the Zanpakutou changed from a katana to a dark blue hand gun with two barrels and a rose was etched into the sides. Youmei aimed the gun at a hollow flying towards Toushirou's back with its fangs bared and pulled the trigger launching two bright flashes of light from her weapon and piercing through the hollow's torso.

Several hollows appeared in front of Toushirou before he hissed "rein over the frosted frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru" the hollows were frozen in a block of ice and fell to the ground where they shattered into dozens of little pieces. Toushirou looked to his right to see a thirty foot gorilla like hollow coming upon a mother and her baby in the street, the hollow attempted to grab the frightened soul; however his arm froze over and broke off, it turned to its right to see a silver haired shinigami with a chain wrapped around its arm attached to his Zanpakutou. The hollows opened its jaw and lunged towards Toushirou, "get out of my way" Toushirou said coldly as he yanked the chain and slammed the hollow with it's own frozen and severed arm causing it to fall to the ground "take your kid and get out of here as fast as you can" Toushirou said sternly.

"Right" the woman said as she regained herself and ran off _"was that Toushirou Hitsugaya? He's become a real beast…"_ suddenly she heard a loud roar and looked behind her to see the hollow gaining on, moments later she heard a couple of loud bangs before several holes appeared in the hollow's head and it disappeared.

"Please ma'am get to safety while we get rid of the hollows" Youmei said softly before firing three more times to eliminate some small hollows, the woman nodded and ran off for safety. Youmei saw that Toushirou was about leap into another swarm of hollows, but before he could she grabbed his shoulder with her right hand.

"Youmei what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Toushirou swore angrily.

"You need to calm down sir" Youmei replied before pulling the trigger several times, killing any hollows that approached them "I know you just want to save your grandmother, but you'll only do something regrettable if you allow your emotions to cloud your judgments."

Toushirou looked to the distance no more than a couple blocks away on top of a hill to see his childhood home standing largely untouched which brought him a sigh of relief "I guess you're right" he said plainly feeling dumb, suddenly a loud roar filled the air as a fifteen foot dog like hollow charged towards them; reacting calmly Toushirou swung his blade towards the beast creating a large ice dragon which intercepted it midway.

"That's more like it" Youmei said with a faint smile before she swung her left arm around and fired several rounds causing the minor hollows to drop dead.

Toushirou nodded but his eyes shot open when they were suddenly surrounded by dozens of hollows; each one was at least twenty feet in length and they were all preparing to fire blasts of spirit energy on the pair of shinigami "get away!!!" Toushirou commanded as he leapt into the air and watched in horror as the blasts got closer and closer to Youmei.

"_I can't dodge in time!!!"_ Youmei thought to herself.

"_Damn it, looks like __**I'll**__ have to step in"_ a voice said in an annoyed tone.

"Youmei!!!" Toushirou shouted as the blasts exploded around the fifth seat; moments later the dust cleared showing Youmei lying unconscious, her hair was down since the ties had been disintegrated, there was a large cut on her forehead which was bleeding over her left eye, both her sleeves and leggings had been blown off her uniform, her stomach was exposed, and her body was covered in injuries. Aoibara changed back into its sealed state right next to Youmei's left hand. The hollows fired off a second round of attacks only for the unconscious shinigami to be surrounded by a dragon made of ice which exploded sending ice off in every direction forcing the hollows back and injuring several of them "back off" Toushirou warned darkly. The hollows began to approach when the younger shinigami leapt towards them and began to thin their numbers. A few seconds later Toushirou saw a thirty foot snake like hollow racing towards Youmei _"Damn it I can't make it in time!!!"_ he swore in his mind.

The hollow opened its massive jaw as it lunged towards the weakened shinigami but just before it could bite into its prey it saw the shinigami grin before she quickly leapt to her feet, grabbed her Zanpakutou with her left hand, stop it in its tracks with her right hand, and then suddenly stabbed the blade of her Zanpakutou into its face.

"That was close, you almost got her there, ya ugly bastard" Youmei said with a psychotic grin before caught some of the blood falling off her face with her tongue "I see the little princess managed to get herself beat up pretty bad, I'll have to give her hell for it later" suddenly she broke off in a dark laugh which even chilled many of the surrounding hollows to the bone.

"What are you?" the snake hollow asked.

Youmei smiled as she eyed the snake like hollow with a strong sense of blood lust before she suddenly appeared right in front of the serpent's face with a shunpo, grabbed onto its mask with her right hand, and then began stabbing it repeatedly in the face while cackling "what am I?' you ask, what does it matter to a worm like you, after all you're not going to live long enough to even absorb the answer."

"_It's just like her file detailed"_ Toushirou thought as Youmei slammed her blade into the hollow's mask one last time before she leapt back down to the ground _"a sudden shift to a violent and vulgar personality, a switch from long range to close range combat,…"_ Toushirou looked at Youmei's Zanpakutou to see that the grip and the sheath were no longer dark blue like her eyes but were now blood red like her hair _"…and her Zanpakutou has changed; there's no doubt about it this is…"_

Youmei looked around at all the hollows that had gathered around them before saying "so let me guess, you guys sensed our strong spiritual pressures and thought something along the lines of 'damn I bet those two taste unbelievable', but you didn't think it through, strong spiritual pressures mean much more **dangerous** prey" she held up her Zanpakutou and the blade began to glow light red "allow me to demonstrate, burn them Akakouhi (Red Queen)!!!"

"…_Youmei Rammyaku's alternate personality, a dangerous and blood thirsty killer with her own Zanpakutou, Akakouhi"_ Toushirou thought as he looked at Youmei's new sword. The blade was about four feet long; the edge was golden, the blade was a medium tone of red and was covered in dark red marks and two gems, and on the center of the blade was a golden crown. The hilt transitioned between the blade and the handle with a half gem shaped guard, at the bottom of the grip was a red gem, and on the other side of the gem was a second black grip.

Youmei smiled viciously before leaping towards several hollows and splitting them across their faces with a single left handed swing. Moments later a lion like hollow attempted to leap on top of her, however Youmei stabbed it through the mouth with her weapon, moments later the hollow began to lash out despite having a sword shoved down its throat. "Still alive, huh?" Youmei asked "this is going to be fun" she added before grabbing the black grip and turning it with a flick of her right wrist, almost instantly the hollow burst into flames revealing a burning blade.

"_Truly a dangerous woman"_ Toushirou thought as she slashed and burned her way through batch after batch of hollows before walking up to him.

"Hey kid I want to be frank with you, right now I want to cut you into little tiny bits and roast you over an open fire" Youmei said plainly causing Toushirou to grip his sword tightly "but that bitch of a princess would wrestle control of this body away from me, so why don't you be a good little squirt and go see your granny? Leave these bottom feeders to me, who knows there might be an opportunity for some real fun."

Toushirou watched as Youmei's sword ignited after she grabbed the bottom grip and turned it with a couple of flicks of her right hand, she immediately leapt into the fray of hollows and Toushirou watched as they were suddenly and violently either torn to shreds or burnt to a crisp before thinking _"yeah she's got this, under control."_

Toushirou used a shunpo to get to his child hood home as flash of lightning filled the sky and a light rain began to fall as he slashed a couple of hollows that were heading for the front entrance, suddenly he heard a loud scream from the inside.

"_It can't be!!!"_ Toushirou screamed in his mind as he rushed in, what he saw caused his eyes to pop open, his irises to shrink to the size of a pin head, his heart rate to accelerate, and everything around him to slow down to a crawl. On the floor was a small elderly woman lying a small pool of blood and on top of her was a human sized hollow in the shape of a preying mantis nibbling away at her side before looking up to Toushirou. Seconds later it lunged towards the young Lieutenant pincers first "You bastard…" Toushirou mumbled before he sliced off both pincers, dropped Hyourinmaru, slammed the hollow into the ground with his left hand wrapped around its neck and yelled "…HOW DARE YOU!!!" at the top of his lungs and began to mercilessly punch the hollow with his right hand repeatedly "Damn you, Damn you, DAMN YOU!!!" he shouted with tears in his eyes as he delivered a killing blow.

"Toushirou is that you?" a feeble voice called drawing Toushirou's attention to the old woman lying on the ground a few feet away "come here would you dear?"

"Grandma" Toushirou said weakly as he slowly walked towards the woman who had raised him since he arrived in the Rukongai district. Suddenly Toushirou looked to his side in horror to see a small bird like hollow lunge at him _"Damn I dropped Hyourinmaru…and there's no way I can dodge at this range!!!"_

"Hadou four Byakuria" a monotone voice chanted before a very small, focused, powerful, and incredibly bright bolt of white lightning lit up the hut and incinerated the hollow mid way.

Toushirou looked behind himself to see a calm shinigami with an emotionless expression and a white haori "Captain Kuchki…" Toushirou said weakly.

"Oh is this your captain?" she asked pleasantly "I can tell just by looking at you that he's been a good mentor."

"Grandmother hold on, I'll get some medics in here, it'll be okay" Toushirou said desperately before he tried to run off but he felt her grab him by his left arm.

"I think we both know that it's already too late for me" she said softly as she felt her grip begin to shake "I just wanted to say a few things to you before I faded away."

"Grandma!" Toushirou cried desperately.

"I'm proud of you Toushirou and Momo to, you've both grown into such fine young individuals" she said happily as her vision began to fade "but please keep an eye on her, she's so kind hearted that I fear she may blindly put all her faith in someone only to be betrayed in the cruelest fashion…" she then coughed up a large amount of blood before adding "…over the years I've had the distinct pleasure of watching you both grow, and I can tell that both you and Momo will continue to grow both as shinigami and as people which will likely bring about unbelievable changes for you; but please promise me one thing, promise me that you'll never lose that kind heart of yours…"

"What are you talking about?" Toushirou asked his panic apparent.

The old woman chuckled before replying "don't play coy with an old woman Toushirou. You know full well that I'm referring to that enormous heart of yours that allows you to love others despite how strange or unusual they are and to help the people who were often thrown away by society find purpose" Toushirou's eyes opened widely which caused the old woman to smile even larger "I can tell just by looking at your Captain over there that he's the same way, so both of you heed the words of an old woman. I know it's cruel and selfish of me to ask this of such fine young men like yourselves, don't spend your days trying to hide those kind hearts from the rest of the world, heaven knows this world…needs…them…" and so her vision went completely black.

"GRANDMA!!!" Toushirou screamed as tears fell from her eyes, but to no avail. Suddenly Toushirou was surrounded by a snow white aura _"damn it I'm losing control!!!"_

Suddenly he felt a strong grip on his shoulder and then he felt a strong force strike him in his chest, knocking him unconscious.

Byakuya gently laid his Lieutenant on the ground before walking over to the dead woman before removing her from the pool of blood and setting her down on a nearby futon. He gently placed his right hand over her face and closed her eyes before covering her with the fabric he wore around his neck. He then picked up Hyourinmaru placed it back into Toushirou's sheath before picking him up and heading for the exit. Byakuya looked back towards the dead woman before closing his eyes for a moment and leaving. From atop the hill Byakuya saw all the mayhem from the combat between the hollows and shinigami as he unsheathed his Zanpakutou before chanting "Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi" almost instantly the skies of Junrinan were covered by a swarm of blades.

"Damn it" Youmei swore "that pompous ass captain had to go and ruin all my fun!" she swung her sword as it resealed and sheathed it "I guess its time to give you the body back, don't bug me unless it's something good."

Moments later Youmei blinked her eyes a couple of times and her Zanpakutou turned blue, she then checked herself and blushed deeply _"Oh no, I'm barely even clothed!!!"_

*A few hours later*

Toushirou's eyes slowly cracked open as the morning light poured in through the window and struck his face. Moments later he quickly sat up as his vision cleared and he found himself in a small hospital bed. He tried to get out of bed but he saw Momo laying her head on his bed, though she was sleeping deeply he couldn't help but notice that her eyes appeared to have dried out from an enormous amount of crying.

"So you're awake Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Retsu said softly from the entrance.

"How long have I been here Captain Unohana?" Toushirou asked.

"Captain Kuchki brought you here about seven hours ago, Miss Hinamori showed up about ten minutes later and hasn't left since" Retsu answered.

"What happened in Junrinan?" Toushirou asked heavily.

"_He's not even trying to hide from reality…poor boy"_ Retsu thought to herself before saying "just focus on resting Lieutenant Hitsugaya; your squad mates, the Dark-Hearts, and Lieutenant Matsumoto have been visiting you."

"_Damn it!!!"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as Retsu left.

A few minutes later Toushirou felt Momo stirring as she woke up. "Are you alright Toushirou?" Momo asked.

"Define 'alright' if you would please" Toushirou replied.

"So grandmother is…" Momo began but couldn't quite finish.

"…dead" Toushirou stated "and if it wasn't for Captain Kuchki, I'd be dead to."

"Toushirou…" Momo said softly before she heard someone walk in and turned to her right to see her Captain walking in.

"Momo I understand you're devastated, but you really should return to your quarters and get some real rest, or else me and the rest of the squad will worry about you" Aizen said softly _"and I need to make sure this boy is still going to be useful."_

"I'm sorry Captain Aizen" Momo replied as she stood up and gave Toushirou a gentle hug before softly saying "please rest up" and leaving.

"Captain Aizen can I ask you a couple questions?" Toushirou asked.

"Certainly" Aizen replied gently.

"What was the damage in Junrinan and to my men" Toushirou asked "I'm going to find out sooner or later so please."

Aizen sighed before saying "Early reports indicate about a hundred civilian casualties and about a dozen of your soldiers died, a couple dozen more have been hospitalized, and as expected there was wide-spread destruction to the roads and buildings" Toushirou had a rather sullen expression before Aizen added "I know it sounds bad but given the sheer number of hollows and the fact that your squad was short staffed you actually did a splendid job."

"_A rather bitter victory"_ Toushirou thought solemnly.

"However…" Aizen continued "…when your grandmother died your spiritual pressure began to fluctuate violently, forcing Captain Kuchki to knock you out before clearing out the hollows with his Zanpakutou."

"So that's a Captain's power…" Toushirou said solemnly "where's my sword?"

"Captains Kuchki and Unohana felt it prudent to put you on a leave of absence and to confiscate your Zanpakutou until you've had some time to grieve" Aizen stated "anything else?"

"There was one more thing I wanted to ask you, so long as it's off the record" Toushirou asked.

"Certainly" Aizen replied.

"I'm certain you've noticed that Momo really admires you" Toushirou said plainly.

"Are you trying to make me blush?" Aizen asked.

"And I'm sure you realize that Momo has dependency issues…" Toushirou began with a rather dark tone.

"I see where you're going with this" Aizen said softly "don't worry I'll take good care of her for you."

"Thank you Captain Aizen" Toushirou replied.

"It's no problem, Momo's lucky to have you" Aizen stated with a smile _"good, he isn't too damaged to carry out my plans."_

*The next morning*

Toushirou woke up feeling slightly better but he still felt miserable over what had transpired the previous day, he was released from care after being examined by a couple of healers. Just when he left his room he heard a familiar voice call out "Lieutenant Hitsugaya" he looked to the side to see Youmei walking up to him nervously, she was back in her normal shinigami robes like him, but she had a large bandage on her forehead, and though he couldn't see them her arms and legs were covered in bandages as well.

"Youmei are you alright?" Toushirou asked.

"Oh I'm fine" Youmei answered.

"Are you sure?" Toushirou asked.

"Of course" she replied softly before saying "I'm sorry about your grandmother, I know what it's like to lose family members."

"I'm fine" Toushirou lied.

"Please Lieutenant, you should really talk to someone, for your own sake" Youmei replied.

Toushirou didn't reply as he walked off towards the exit. _"It was my own damn fault, not yours or anyone else's" _Toushirou thought to himself as he fought back several tears.

Youmei sighed before thinking _"if there is some sort of God, I'd like to know what its reasons are for forcing kids to witness Hell from a front row seat" _as she leaned against the wall and thought back to her own child hood.

*Flashback*

It was a dark night and stormy night on the grounds of a noble castle grounds. Most of the inhabitants and servants were fast asleep however the hallways were littered with the bodies of the night guards and the sounds of footsteps could be heard by anyone who listened closely enough.

"Youmei you have to hide!!!" A woman with red hair and green eyes said in a panic.

"But mommy" a little girl no older than four cried as her mother tried to force her through a small trap door that was too small for an adult to fit through.

"Get going Youmei, they're coming" A man with dark blue eyes and black hair said urgently, moments later a blade punched through his back before he fell to the ground.

"PAPA!!!" Youmei yelled with tears in her eyes as he fell to the ground and two men covered from head to toe walked in, one of them was holding a blood stained katana.

"Stay back!!!" Youmei's mother threatened as she forced Youmei backed and hissed "get out of here Youmei, I'm begging you."

Youmei's eyes shot open as the man who had killed her father dashed forward and struck her mother in the back while she was focused on Youmei sending a stream of blood to stain both the ceiling and the floor before she fell, with a lifeless expression in her eyes.

"MAMMA, PAPPA!!!" Youmei shouted as the man walked up to her holding the katana still stained with the blood of her parents with an emotionless glare in his eyes _"Is this the end?! Am I really going to die like this?!"_ the man raised the sword above his shoulder intending to slice the frightened child on the ground _"at least I'll be with Mommy and Daddy soon" _she thought as the blade started to fall towards her.

"_Damn you're a pain in my ass"_ a voice echoed in her head. Moments later the assassin felt the little girl grab his wrist with her right hand just before he and his colleagues suddenly felt a spiritual pressure that was so strong it threatened to crush their bones into dust. "Looks like you two get to be my first playmates" Youmei said cynically before she slammed the assassin's fore arm with her left hand breaking the bone causing him to drop the weapon.

"You bitch!!!" the assassin said before he tried to hit her with his left hand, however Youmei quickly picked up the katana with her left hand and slashed his left arm off causing him to fall to the floor in pain.

"You're next" Youmei said the blood lust evident in her voice the assassin tried to run but he suddenly felt an extreme rush of pain as both his legs were severed from his body.

A few seconds later a large group of guards came to investigate the screams, when they came through the door they saw the lord and lady of the castle lying dead, two assassins were bleeding heavily from missing limbs and the princess of the castle was covered in blood and holding a blood stained katana.

"Princess Youmei!!!" one of the guards shouted before he and the others were about to charge in, but suddenly they were frozen in their tracks by a strong spiritual pressure.

"Unless you want to die, I advise you to stay back" Youmei said evilly "I was literally born today so I intend to throw myself one Hell of a birthday party."

"Wait we'll tell you who hired us, just please stop!" the armless Assassin begged.

"It's too bad you're not dealing with the cup cake princess" Youmei replied "but you know this katana you used to kill mumsy and dadsy is just too sharp, I mean this'll be over before I can really get to the good parts" she then walked over to the wall and pulled a decorative shield off and began to strike it with the sword repeatedly changing it from a razor sharp Assassination instrument to a jagged saw like blade "now let's have some fun" Youmei said as she walked over to the Assassins; the guards were frozen in shock and terror as they witnessed their princess brutally torture the pair of Assassins without mercy.

The next morning Youmei woke up to see herself covered in blood, both her parents were lying on the floor dead, two brutally disfigured corpses were lying next to her, and over a dozen of the castle soldiers were standing around the door looking absolutely terrified. Youmei tried to lift her hands but felt a solid weight in her left hand, she looked at her hand in terror as she saw herself holding a blood stained sword "What happened?" Youmei asked weakly as she started breathing heavily.

"_I had one hell of a good night and those guys just couldn't seem to look away"_ a voice echoed in her head.

"Who was that?" Youmei asked.

"_Want a hint? Look into something with a reflective surface"_ the voice replied.

Youmei made her way over to a well polished shield and saw her reflection; however her reflection was smiling evilly and waving at her "who are you?" Youmei asked terrified.

"_I'm you"_ the voice replied happily.

*End flashback*

"_After that my Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and even my grand parents decided that as a split personality was unfit to become the next head of the Rammyaku clan; as if that weren't enough they threw me off the grounds and threatened to kill me should I ever return. Since my other side killed the Assassins there was no way to find out who had hired them"_ Youmei thought heavily as she headed back to her room for her last night at the hospital _"After I lost my status I thought I was just going to fade into obscurity that was until…"_ Youmei looked at the Camellia image on the fold of her robe and smiled _"…Captain Kuchki noticed me and made me an officer in his squad, the head of one of the four great noble families accepted me into his squad, thanks to him I was able to feel as if I was valuable."_

Toushirou turned one last corner as he headed for the exit but stopped mid-way when he saw Byakuya enter and begin to walk down the same hallway to check on his injured troops. He didn't even seem to notice his Lieutenant as he walked towards him.

"I'm sorry" Toushirou heard him say quietly as he walked by.

Two days later Toushirou, Momo, and the citizens of Junrinan held a funeral for all the victims of the recent hollow attack. There were a large number of shinigami attending including Rangiku, Youmei, and the Dark-Hearts. Momo cried on Toushirou's shoulder as their service unfolded, it began to rain softly when the burial was complete and everyone except for two shinigami left, Toushirou just looked over his shoulder quietly as Aizen guided Momo back to the Seireitei.

Toushirou stood before his grandmothers grave silently for several seconds before asking "how long do you plan to hang around here Rangiku?"

"Until you're done here" Rangiku answered.

"That could take a while" Toushirou said dully.

"That's fine by me" Rangiku replied "no one should leave a loved one's service alone."

"Why do you care?" Toushirou asked coldly.

"Because I'm your friend, and I can tell you're really grieving" Rangiku stated simply "I understand completely why you're crying."

"I'm not crying it's just the rain" Toushirou retorted quickly before he felt Rangiku place her left hand on his right shoulder and place her left hand on his forehead where she saw water to continue running from his eyes despite the improvised windshield.

"I'm sorry but you can't fool me" Rangiku said softly causing Toushirou to look at the ground to his side. Rangiku gently pulled him into an embrace and said "just let it out, I promise this'll stay just between us" and so the two stood there in the rain as Toushirou cried silently on Rangiku's shoulder.

*Ten years later- Squad ten restricted area*

"_So it's finally done"_ Gojou thought happily as he looked around at his new lab equipment _"tomorrow I'll take the next step to becoming one of the great four noble families!!!"_

"_So you're finally ready to make your move"_ Aizen thought smugly hidden by his Kyouka Suigetsu _"this should be entertaining." _

Author's notes: I had hoped to make Toushirou a Captain on the tenth chapter when I started writing this fan fiction but sometimes these things just don't work out the way we plan. Anyway stay tuned for chapter 11 where I'll show you what Gojou's been up to for ten years (I assure you it's one of those acts of messed up science that crosses the line that man was NEVER meant to cross) and Toushirou gets his Haori. Until then please leave a review and have a good time.

**Zanpakutou Profile: Aoibara**

Translation: Blue Rose

Release command: Strike

Info: Youmei's Zanpakutou takes the shape of a Dark Blue handgun with two barrels and a rose design etched into the side. This weapon was inspired by the Blue Rose from Devil May Cry 4.

**Zanpakutou Profile: Akakouhi**

Translation: Red Queen

Release command: Burn them

Info: Youmei's alternate personality's Zanpakutou transforms into a broadsword with a four foot long blade. The handle is split into two sections, the top part is a normal grip while the bottom half can be engulf the blade in fire by rotating it with a flick of the wrist. This weapon was inspired by the Red Queen sword from Devil May Cry four.


	11. The Heavenly Guardian and Black Knights

Author's notes: Okay this chapter took me forever to type up so thank God I got it done. Anyway this is my longest chapter yet so you may want to take your time.

I don't own Bleach or Devil May Cry (If I did I wouldn't be living in this part of the country)

Please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review.

**Ch. 11 The Heavenly Guardian and the Black Knights**

"And that shall conclude this Lieutenants meeting" Nanao stated as she adjusted her glasses "and of course best wishes to our new colleagues; Squad Three Lieutenant Izuru Kira, Squad Five Lieutenant Momo Hinamori, and Squad Nine Lieutenant Shuuhei Hisagi. Congratulations to both of you."

"Thank you" the three new lieutenants said gratefully as most of the Lieutenants applauded.

"Yay we have even more playmates now" Yachiru cheered gleefully as she jumped up behind them and pulled all three into a tight hug due to her short arms before saying "I'll have to think up some new nicknames for you."

"Nick names?" Momo said with a hesitant chuckle.

"It'll likely be something ridiculous or inappropriate" Toushirou assured her "count yourselves lucky, she gave me a nickname within half a minute of meeting me."

"Ah come on Frosty loosen up" Yachiru said as she let go of the new Lieutenants and leapt on his back causing a vein to pop in Toushirou's temple "are you going to be this much of a party pooper when Uki picks a new Lieutenant?"

"Frosty?" Momo asked forcing back a laugh.

"Shut up" Toushirou hissed "and don't even think about it" he said threateningly to both Izuru and Shuuhei as Yachiru smiled happily.

"Sheesh what's the big deal?" Oomaeda asked "there wasn't this much fuss when I was named a Lieutenant."

"That's because no one really likes you" Toushirou said bluntly.

"He's right you know" Rangiku agreed "and beside you only got promoted because the Head Captain wouldn't let Captain Soi Fon continue to operate without a Lieutenant. I heard one day she just said to him 'Fine, just give me any idiot, it doesn't matter' and guess who happened to walk by."

Oomaeda was speechless as Toushirou asked "is that true?"

"Oomaeda confirmed it himself while drunk" Rangiku said with a chuckle.

Every Lieutenant was looking at Oomaeda as if they couldn't believe what they were hearing before Toushirou simply said "Oomaeda you're an idiot."

"Are we really going to be okay working with these people?" Izuru asked in concern.

"We'll be fine" Momo answered before saying "you really should be nicer to people Toushirou."

"That's Lieutenant Hitsugaya to you" Toushirou said crudely causing Momo to raise an eyebrow and a dead silence to follow.

"Looky Looky" Yachiru said gleefully as she came in with a magazine "the new shinigami monthly came out, and it's the annual special."

"When did you leave?" Momo asked in surprise.

"Too bad Captain Soi Fon couldn't get her for a Lieutenant" Toushirou said plainly.

"Wait a minute did you just say that was the annual special?" Isane asked as she walked up to the young girl who nodded "what does it say about squad four?"

"For those who don't want to or cant bring themselves to kill for a living join the fourth squad, develop your skills to save lives instead of taking them under the gentle guidance of Captain Retsu Unohana and her disciple Isane Koutestu" Yachiru read off for her "lets find something amusing, how about squad six?"

"Yachiru don't you dare!" Toushirou stated as she flipped a few pages and quickly vanished "where'd she go?"

"Hey get off me damn it" Oomaeda swore as everyone looked to see Yachiru standing on top of his head smiling "I said get off."

"Quite Tubs I'm trying to read" Yachiru said as she stomped down on his head causing him to fall silent "want to be a positive influence on the soul society or do you desire fame? If your answer is yes to either question join squad six, because if you so much as stick one toe over the line, either Captain Byakuya Kuchki or Lieutenant Toushirou Hitsugaya will cut it off so make no mistake you **will** behave, and if you survive long enough you'll likely become famous throughout the entire Seireitei. Captain Byakuya Kuchki is arguably the most famous of the thirteen court guard squads Captains for his cold and ruthless demeanor. Ten years ago he appointed a young and rising star named Toushirou Hitsugaya as his Lieutenant and to most people both within and outside of the sixth squad the two seem to get along like a pair of bothers or a father and son as they effectively run the sixth squad and institute a strict code of discipline."

"Toushirou are you really taking after your Captain **that **much?" Momo asked in concern "you really worry me."

"Mind your own damn business Momo" Toushirou replied in annoyance before looking up to Yachiru and saying "and quit talking about my professional life!"

"Oh look what it says here, unlike Captain Kuchki, under the right conditions Lieutenant Hitsugaya will actually show signs of humanity usually in the form of extreme anger and annoyance" Yachiru added cheerfully causing Toushirou's eyebrow to twitch before she jumped down to the floor.

"Lieutenant Kusajishi that's quite enough" Nanao said "please stop reading from that…"

Nanao immediately stopped dead when she saw Yachiru flip a few pages before saying "do you desire the mellowest existence possible as a shinigami? Then sign up for squad eight led by the veteran Captain Shunsui Kyouraku, when not on missions enjoy an easy atmosphere and a few dozen bottles of sake as you watch Lieutenant Nanao Ise beat the crap out of Captain Kyouraku like they were married" Nanao blushed deeply and was speechless as the other lieutenants had a look on their faces that all seemed to read 'now that she mentions it' and Yachiru chuckled "old married couple."

Rangiku chuckled before turning to Toushirou and saying "I think me and Isane should take her out for a drink or two."

"Why are you telling me?" Toushirou asked "you're not my problem."

"I'm touched by your concern" Rangiku replied lightly as she signaled Isane and guided Nanao out of the conference room.

Toushirou turned to Momo and said "let's get the hell out of here."

"Is it always like that?" Momo asked.

"Pretty much" Toushirou answered "they can be pretty over the top some...scratch that all of the time. By the way congratulations on your promotion, Captain Aizen's lucky to have you."

"Thanks" Momo replied "though I'm still a little concerned about you working under Captain Kuchki, I don't think I've ever met someone who was so heartless."

Toushirou remembered his time working with Rukia and the day Byakuya walked past him in the hospital and said 'sorry' after his grandmother had died before saying "he cares, a lot actually. It's just not easy for him to express it."

"You think so?" Momo asked.

"I imagine adopting someone from Rukongai as his younger sister didn't make his life much easier with the heads of his household but for some reason or another he did it anyway" Toushirou answered.

"I guess you have a point" Momo replied _"maybe it's not so bad if he's taking after his captain."_

"_He's come far" _Rangiku thought as turned to catch back up with Isane and Nanao.

*That night, Squad ten office area a.k.a Gojou Ikari's private preserve*

"_The equipment is all set up, but I should test it first to make sure everything is working properly"_ Gojou thought as he read through Mayuri's notebooks one last time before grabbing a list of his squad's personal _"and it would seem that I have three officers who haven't shaped up like I told them to, might as well make use of them."_

*A nearby pub*

"And another one bites the dust" the bartender declared as a man fell to the ground and lost consciousness "Lieutenant Matsumoto I have no idea where or how you got, but you have some kind of super liver or something."

"Tell me about it" the third through fifth seats of squad ten sighed in unison. The third seat was a man with messy brown hair which nearly covered his eyes, the fourth seat was a woman with light blonde hair which she had tied into pig tails, and the fifth seat was a man dark red hair which he kept incredibly short.

The three officers looked at each other before they burst out laughing Nanao and Isane were at a nearby table, Isane had a concerned look on her face and Nanao had her head buried in her arms.

"Come on Nanao, that magazine was just being satirical, no one actually thinks you and your captain are like an old married couple" Rangiku said as she rolled her eyes.

"Do you really mean that?" Isane whispered.

"Of course not" Rangiku whispered back "this one time when I was trying to deliver documents to their office she literally sent him flying through the door because she hit him so hard with that book she's always carrying around. The magazine article was dead on."

"Lieutenant Matsumoto it's at time like this that we all wish **you** were the Captain, that way squad ten would be a lot more fun" the third seat whispered to her with a soft chuckle before he took a sip of his drink.

"Ah, I'm flattered" Rangiku replied "just don't let Captain Ikari hear you say that."

"Ma'am" he replied as they both took a drink, suddenly the atmosphere in the bar became incredibly tense and everyone was thinking something along the lines of 'oh damn not now.' Everyone turned to the entrance to see Gojou Ikari walk in with his usual air of arrogance, but what was truly disturbing was the fact that he had a wide smile across his face.

Gojou walked up to the third, fourth, and fifth seats and said "we need to talk" not dropping his smile and they noticed a disturbing glimmer in his eyes indicated that he was incredibly happy.

"Can it wait sir?" the fourth seat asked nervously.

"No now come along" Gojou answered as the officer followed him reluctantly through the door.

Rangiku raised an eyebrow as she heard a number of people saying:

"The Captain was smiling?!"

"I think we need to get the hell out of here"

"Agreed"

"This sure can't be good…hey bar keep, I'm going to need a few more bottles of sake"

Rangiku placed some money on the counter for her tab before she walked out thinking _"I have a bad feeling about this."_

"So captain what is it you wanted to talk to us about" the fourth seat asked as he lead them to the door separating the main office building from the restricted section that Gojou had kept to himself for the past ten years "sir are you taking us in there?"

Suddenly the fifth seat noticed that Gojou's lips were moving causing his eyes to shoot open before he asked "Captain, what are you mumbling?!"

Gojou looked at them with a small smirk before saying "Bakudou 63: Sajousabaku."

"DAMN IT" the third seat swore as all three of them were suddenly bound together by a chain made of solid kidou "what the Hell are you doing?!"

"Let's just say you three should've lived up to my expectations" Gojou replied simply as all three of them looked at him with an expression of the upmost hatred "but don't worry, you'll still prove yourselves useful to me."

Suddenly the doors began to open revealing a scene straight out of a horror/science fiction movie, the restricted office are had been converted into a laboratory. As Gojou began to drag them through they noticed that the walls were covered in strange machines with their screen emanating a dark glow throughout the poorly lit rooms, some of the rooms had tanks filled with strange liquids of various colors and strangely shaped specimens, and the last room held a strange device. At the bottom was a platform about four feet in diameter with rotating electrical nodes about eight feet above pulsing with energy.

"Now lets get this little test started" Gojou said "I've been waiting for over ten years for this day."

"You bastard!!!" the fourth seat hissed before Gojou slapped her and threw all three onto the platform.

"_It's finally time for this labor to bear fruit"_ Gojou thought as his smile widened and he flipped the switch.

*Squad six main office*

"Whew finally done" Toushirou stated as he signed off on the last piece of paperwork.

"Lieutenant, I don't understand why Captain Kuchki has you doing so much, normally he would always handle most of these responsibilities" Youmei said curiously.

"Simple it's because I asked him if I could do it" Toushirou stated as he placed the last documents on Byakuya's desk.

"Why?" Youmei asked "it's technically his job…"

"…to make sure that it's done, doesn't matter who does it" Toushirou stated plainly as they exited the office building.

"Why did you volunteer to do it?" Youmei asked curiously.

"Let's just say I plan to move up someday" Toushirou answered.

"You plan on becoming a captain?" Youmei asked.

"Head Captain eventually" Toushirou replied "let's just say I have my reasons" he added after seeing Youmei's confused expression. "It's a nice evening tonight" Toushirou sighed lightly as he looked at the calm night sky.

Youmei did the same before saying "yeah it is, say Lieutenant if I can do anything to help you with your goal please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you Youmei" Toushirou replied. Moments later the night sky lit up like a giant Christmas tree as a huge flash of light shot up from the squad ten section of the Seireitei "WHAT IN THE HELL…"

"… WAS THAT?!" Rangiku asked as she watched the light fade away from the entrance to the squad ten office building before she dashed inside the building. As she made her way to the 'forbidden zone' as it had been so affectionately dubbed by the tenth squad she noticed that the hallways were beginning to fill with smoke.

"Damn it" Gojou swore as the smoke cleared revealing the result of his experiment "still needs calibrations." The three officers' bodies had apparently fused and were now a jumbled mass of limbs, bones, and flesh. "I see so I had the fusion parameters set too low, that's why…" Gojou said coldly before what was originally his subordinates began to wail loudly before its spiritual pressure began to rise violently and it began to take a more definite shape; it had turned into a strange four legged creature with the heads of the three seated officers, the body was mostly covered by the warped remains of their uniforms, and finally three seven foot tails formed with what was unmistakably the blades of their Zanpakutou at the ends. _"Such a disgusting creature"_ Gojou thought dully as it roared and prepared to charge him "Bakudou 61 Rikujyoukuro" six bolts of light immediately slammed onto the strange creature. Gojou walked towards them as he drew his Zanpakutou and said "guess I have no more use for you three."

"Captain what's going on here!?" Rangiku asked in a panic tone as she rushed in and her eyes shot open in terror at the sight before her.

"I don't recall giving you permission to enter this place Rangiku" Gojou replied coldly "and I'm in a very sour mood right now."

"What the Hell have you done here?!" Rangiku asked as she grabbed the handle of her Zanpakutou with her right hand.

""_If you so much as attempt to hurt Rangiku, I can guarantee you'll meet a swift and horrible death" _Gin's warning echoed in Gojou's memory.

"Nothing too extraordinary, I was simply testing out this facility I completed recently" Gojou replied callously "it's a good thing I tested it out on these vermin first, otherwise all my plans would be ruined."

"What is all this?" Rangiku asked tensely as sweat began to trickle down her face.

"Soul Fusion" Gojou answered plainly as Rangiku looked at him in confusion "it's a process of fusing two or more souls together, resulting in the strongest soul gaining the strength and spirit energy from the weaker souls, and thus making the strongest soul even stronger; unfortunately if the machine isn't properly tuned it can have horrific results…like this **thing.**"

"So that's…" Rangiku stated in horror.

"Our third through fifth seat or should I say our former third through fifth seats" Gojou finished for her.

"How could you?!" Rangiku asked in disgust as she drew her sword.

"Simple…I have ambitions Rangiku" Gojou answered.

"And you're willing to sacrifice your own subordinates for these ambitions?!" Rangiku replied angrily.

"Yes, as soon as I work out the kinks in this device I intend to absorb souls until I gain the strength to make my family one of the four great noble households, but I intend to take it even farther than that…" Gojou replied as his smile widened considerably "…Rangiku you're looking at the future God of the Soul Society!!!"

"You're out of your mind!!!" Rangiku shouted "now roar Haineko!!!"

Gojou looked annoyed as the ash from Rangiku's shikai surrounded him and began to swirl around, as it started drawing closer he chanted "grace us Soratsubaki" he swung himself around completely scattering Rangiku's ashes. Gojou then swung his sword horizontally sending a large gust of wind towards Rangiku, she tried to block it with her shikai but the wind overpowered it and hit her directly, the wind cut into her arms and legs as she was thrown into the wall. Almost immediately Gojou appeared before her and grabbed her throat with his left hand as he readied his blade to run her through and she struggled to break his grip, "it's a shame but a piece of Rukongai trash will always be nothing more than a piece of Rukongai trash" a small tornado formed around the blade before lunging it forward, Rangiku's vision went black. The sound of clanging metal filled the room as the blade of a Zanpakutou struck Gojou's sword mere moments before it would have stabbed her through her heart, causing it to hit nothing but air. Moments later said blade swung towards Gojou forcing him to jump back.

Rangiku coughed heavily as her vision returned to her and she saw a shinigami who was about four a half feet tall, with wild silver hair, and a badge on his left arm with a camellia painted next to the kanji for six holding a Zanpakutou the size of his body.

"Rangiku are you okay?!" Toushirou asked quickly with a cold tone.

"I'll live I think" Rangiku replied taken back by his prompt entrance and his intense spiritual pressure.

"What are you doing here?!" Gojou asked angrily "and how dare you attack a superior officer, that's an act of treason!!!"

"I doubt the other Captains will see it that way" Toushirou said with the same harsh tone "I'm here to arrest you **former** Captain of squad ten: Gojou Ikari."

"And if I beg to differ?" Gojou asked _"this particular piece of Rukongai trash has been particularly troublesome."_

"Then I'll just have to kill you" Toushirou answered as he eyed the older man with murderous intent "Rangiku stay away and evacuate the area if you can."

Toushirou leapt towards Gojou and swung his blade horizontally, Gojou raised his Soratsubaki and intercepted the attack.

"You're in way over your head boy" Gojou hissed.

Toushirou's spiritual pressure began to raise violently, a snow white aura radiated around his body, and his eyes started glowing as he chanted "Reign over the frosted frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!!!" a giant ice dragon slammed Gojou through a nearby wall and forced him outside the office building.

"Damn it" Gojou swore as he landed on the ground a couple stories below as he looked up to see the young Lieutenant emerge, moments later his eyes popped open as he noticed the dark storm clouds in the skies above them. After taking a couple of deep breaths he noticed the air was unnaturally cold _"impossible, this brat's shikai is actually affecting the weather?!"_

Gojou swung his sword vertically sending a spinning wheel of wind towards Toushirou. Toushirou swung his sword upwards creating a temporary shield of ice. Gojou's attack cut through the ice and struck him in the chest tearing his uniform down the center and causing him to lose his balance and fall towards the ground. Toushirou threw the crescent blade towards the roof and stopped his descent before he swung his blade and sent another ice dragon towards Gojou.

*Back with Rangiku*

"Damn it I can't mover" Rangiku swore as she tried to mover her legs and she was tensing up from the pain _"Ikari must have cut my leg tendons!!!"_

A loud roar caught her attention as she turned to see the beast that had resulted from Gojou's experiments began to shake violently despite the kidou spell holding it back. Rangiku gasped in fear as the six bolts of light shattered.

"Guys it's me Rangiku, don't you recognize me?!" she asked as it started making its way towards her blades first. Rangiku's eyes filled with tears as she pointed her right index and middle fingers at the approaching beast and muttered "Hadou four Byakuria" with a chocked voice.

The bolt of lighting blew a small hole through its chest causing the beast to howl in pain as it lashed around for a few minutes and tore up several machines before it leapt at her again. Just before it could tear her to shreds several loud bangs roared forcing the creature back. Rangiku turned towards the doorway to see a familiar woman with red hair and blue eyes holding a gun with two barrels.

"You are?" Rangiku said in surprise.

"Squad six, fifth seat, Youmei Rammyaku" Youmei replied "where is Lieutenant Hitsugaya?"

"Trying to kill my Captain" Rangiku answered before she gasped and said "we need to help him!!!"

Suddenly the beast roared loudly as it eyed both women venomously. What caused both of their heart rates to rise dramatically was the steam gushing from its wounds as they closed.

"High speed regeneration?!" Youmei gasped _"and its spiritual pressure keeps rising!!! This thing is way too much for me!!!" _Youmei fired off several more rounds from Aoibara before shouting "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!"

"I can't walk, my captain cut my leg tendons" Rangiku replied.

"Damn it" Youmei swore as she focused her spirit energy into a more condensed shot before shooting the beast one last time stunning it for a short time "Bakudou 61 Rikujyoukuro. That won't hold it for long." Youmei said in a rushed voice as she lifted Rangiku up.

"We have to help…" Rangiku tried to say.

"We have to stay alive first if we want to help Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Youmei cut her off as they exited the building. Dozens of soldiers were gathering around to find out what was going on "YOU PEOPLE NEED TO RUN, IT'S DANGEROUS AROUND HERE!!!" Youmei shouted.

Almost instantly the three headed monster broke through the wall a couple stories up and began to lunge towards Youmei and Rangiku.

"Hadou 63 Raikouhou" a stern voice chanted just before a large blast of lighting struck it in the side and it crashed into the ground as Alexander and Elaina Dark-Heart walked out from the crowd "you should take her advice it's dangerous here."

"What in the Hell is this thing?!" Elaina asked as the soldiers fled and the beast started coming to its senses.

"Soul Fusion would be my bet" Alexander answered as he and Elaina leapt away as the tails came rushing towards them "I can see three different spirit energy signatures in conflict with one another on the inside" he added as his demonic eyes glowed red _"this is bad…judging by the speed and the sheer instability of the fusion we don't have much time."_

"You know about this?" Youmei asked as she ran up to Elaina.

"Let's just say I used to know some people who were involved with this stuff" Alexander answered as he drew his blades. He locked blades with the beast by using Nehan and swiped at the tail with Kokuhyou.

"My captain did this to them" Rangiku explained.

"Damn so the kid was right…Ikari **was **up to something" Elaina sighed "and I thought he was being paranoid."

"Please Alex, is there any way you can save them?" Rangiku asked desperately.

"I'm afraid not" Alexander replied solemnly.

"But you sound like you understand this stuff, so surely you can reverse…" Rangiku began.

"I'm sorry but we don't have time" Alexander cut her off before saying "right now I'm sure you've noticed that this creature's spiritual pressure keeps getting stronger and stronger, but it's incredibly unstable and if it keeps up like this it'll result in a large explosion."

"How large are we talking about?" Elaina asked as the beast bit down on the blade of her Zanpakutou with all three sets of jaws before she performed a roundhouse kick, knocking the three heads into each other.

"Hard to say, but my guess is that it would be large enough to wipe out half the city!!!" Alexander replied "I can sense that a number of Captains and Lieutenants are on their way but they won't make it in time" Alexander looked to Rangiku to see her battered and bloodied "so I'm afraid it's going to be just the three of us, I'm sorry but your treatment will have to wait until after this thing is dead!"

"Then let's kill this thing so I can treat her and we can help out the kid" Elaina said with a hint of panic before chanting "Snap their necks Onitsume."

"My thoughts exactly" Alexander stated as he flipped the blade in his left hand and began chanting "Darkness spread across the universe and consume all evil. Light dash across creation and obliterate the wicked. Kokuhyou, Nehan."

"I'm sorry Lieutenant, but we have no choice" Youmei said as she put Rangiku down "I understand if you can't forgive me for my part in this" she gave a quick glance to Aoibara before saying "we'll be right back for you" and rushing back to aid Alexander and Elaina.

*With Toushirou and Gojou*

Toushirou and Gojou were locking blades within the squad ten training grounds. Toushirou had several cuts on his face and torso and his kimono was torn in several places. Gojou had some minor scrapes but was otherwise unharmed.

Toushirou jumped back and slung his crescent blade towards Gojou's right arm _"now let's see if I have him figured out."_

Gojou stabbed forward with his sword causing a small twister to form around the blade preventing Toushirou's chain and crescent from grabbing his weapon. As soon as the chain fell to the ground he swung his blade horizontally sending a massive wave of air towards Toushirou.

"_No way I can dodge that"_ Toushirou thought as he swung his own blade horizontally creating a wall of ice the size of his body which shielded him from the gust. Moments later he heard the unmistakable sound of ice beginning to crack from the other side of the wall, Toushirou jumped to his right just as the wall split in two and he saw a spinning wheel of air strike the ground where he had been standing. Toushirou threw his crescent blade towards Gojou's sword once again, just like before Gojou trust his sword forward and a small twister deflected the chain and the blade.

"_This is getting annoying"_ Gojou thought dully, his eyes shot open as he saw the child dash towards him _"don't tell me!!!"_

Toushirou swung his blade as he leapt past Gojou and large amount of blood shot out from Gojou's left shoulder.

"Damn it" Gojou swore as he grabbed his left shoulder.

"I've figured you out" Toushirou said softly as he landed on the ground and turned to his opponent with a small grin.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Gojou asked clearly angered by his injury.

"You're the captain and you're asking me?" Toushirou said simply "fine let me explain something a friend of mine taught me…"

_Flash back_

"It's time I taught you about 'tells' Toushirou" Alexander said simply as they stood in the squad nine training grounds.

"Tells Master?" Toushirou asked.

"That's right" Alexander stated "just about every Zanpakutou regardless of whether it's a direct attack type, a kidou type, or…" Alexander pointed to Toushirou's released Hyourinmaru "…a combination like yours or mine; must be used in a certain way in order to utilize their special abilities."

"I don't understand" Toushirou replied.

"I see, let me put it this way. You know that in order to use my shikai's special attacks I have to recite an incantation right?" Alexander began and Toushirou nodded "and correct me if I'm wrong but your ice abilities require you to swing your Hyourinmaru in a certain way don't they?" Toushirou's eyes popped open in sudden realization causing Alexander to grin slightly "pretty much every single Zanpakutou has that in common, so if you're fast enough and if you spend enough time to study your opponent's moves, you'll be able to predict their attacks."

"Why are you telling me this?" Toushirou asked "are job is to kill hollows not other shinigami."

Alexander sighed before saying "that may be the case but unfortunately we shinigami are not Saints, Angels, or God's by any stretch of the imagination. I'd love to be proven wrong but I'm certain that there will come a day where you have no choice but to kill another shinigami, and since your goal is to become the next head captain so you'll have the power and influence within the thirteen court guard squads to force the central forty six…I can more or less guarantee that the day you have to kill another shinigami won't take to long to turn into days."

_End Flashback_

"When you swing your sword horizontally you create a large wave of wind, it's nearly impossible to dodge but it lacks power so it isn't too difficult to block with a large enough shield, and even if it does hit it likely won't do too much damage to a strong target. When you swing the blade vertically it sends a spinning wheel of air towards the target, while its attack power is much stronger than your horizontal attack and therefore harder to defend against, if your fast enough dodging it is a far cry from a pipe-dream. And lastly when you thrust your sword forward a small cyclone forms around the blade, the attack power from this attack is devastating however…" Toushirou threw the crescent blade towards Gojou, Gojou made another stabbing motion and the hurricane kept the chain from wrapping around his arm, moments later Toushirou leapt past him again and this time he managed to give Gojou a small cut on his right cheek "…it leaves you wide open for an attack and you're well aware that if I managed to catch your right arm with my chain and crescent blade…" Toushirou began to spin the chain with his left hand "…you're dead!"

Gojou's blood was boiling as his face contorted with rage "YOU PIECE OF RUKONGAI FILTH!!! HOW DARE YOU TALK THAT WAY TO ME!!!" he shouted as he held his Zanpakutou in front of him "I can't believe I'm using this on a rat like you…"

"_So he's actually going to do it"_ Toushirou thought as he took his stance.

"BANKAI!!!" Gojou shouted loudly as a large gust of wind surrounded him making him momentarily invisible. When the gales disappeared they revealed Gojou standing with a large circular weapon in his hand; it was about six feet in diameter, it was covered in camellia like engravings and an impression of his shikai blade every ninety degrees. The rest was a combination of shades of green, while the handle was bright gold. "Kiyoikaze (Noble Wind) Soratsubaki" Gojou hissed before eying his opponent and saying "you should feel honored boy!"

*With Youmei and the others*

Elaina's right hand glowed dark blue before she jabbed forward and a larger energy replica of her hand grabbed onto the beast by the chest. The beast's heads tried to lash out through the fingers, Elaina lifted the monster up into the air about fifteen feet before slamming it into the ground, before the dust could even cleared she swung around clockwise slamming the beast through a nearby wall before her hand stopped glowing.

Youmei leapt above the smoke cloud and rapidly fired off dozens of shots. The beast howled loudly as the rain of blasts struck it over most of its body and blood sprayed out from the holes. The monster leapt towards Youmei but a white long sword appeared in front of her and generated a shield knocking it back, moments later Alexander appeared out of mass of black energy and landed on top of the beast while it was still air born. Alexander grasped Kokuhyou with both hands and drove it into its flesh, he managed to stab it three more times before they crashed into the ground one last time and dust kicked up once again.

"Did he kill it?" Youmei asked as she stood next to Elaina holding Nehan in her right hand.

Moments later a bright red light shot out from the dust cloud and Alexander was quickly shot out with a large wound in his side which was bleeding. Almost instantly two more blasts shot out. Elaina shielded herself with Onitsume and was subsequently slammed into a nearby wall but avoided taking a direct hit. Youmei took a hit to her right shoulder causing her to drop Alexander's Nehan as she fell to the ground from the pain.

"What in the hell does it take to kill this damn thing?!" Elaina swore loudly as the beast came out from the dust considerably larger, and to make matters worse all the injuries were closing quickly "high speed regeneration, weird ass kidou blasts, and it just keeps getting stronger!!!"

"I have one trick left, but…" Alexander sighed.

"But what?" Elaina asked.

"I'll need that beast kept away from me long enough for me to finish the incantation" Alexander stated "and I'm hesitant to have you act as a decoy by yourself."

"Then don't send your precious little girl in alone, I'll be there to hold her hand" Youmei said cynically as she stood up with a grin as she held a red handled Zanpakutou.

"I don't care if you're a warped alternate personality, I'll kick your ass if you keep that up!!!" Elaina replied hotly.

"Ladies focus" Alexander hissed "I'm sorry but I need you two to hold it off for at least thirties seconds."

"Got it" Elaina replied as she dashed towards the creature.

"Burn them Akakouhi" Youmei chanted as she followed after Elaina.

Alexander picked up Nehan and stabbed it into the ground to his left before stabbing Kokuhyou into the ground to his right.

Alexander stretched both his arms out and spread his fingers out forming a triangle with his thumbs and index fingers before beginning to chant "I call upon the deepest darkest shadows of hell, I call upon the divine light of the heavens…" black energy began to flow out from Kokuhyou and white energy began to flow out from Nehan before they both began to swirl in opposite directions around Alexander's feet.

"No you don't!!!" Elaina hissed as the beast tried to lunge towards her father only to be stopped in its tracks by a vicious right hook.

Moments later Youmei stabbed it in the chest with her sword before igniting the blade with a flick of the bottom handle. The creature began howl in pain as the flames began to shoot out from its body, Youmei laughed psychotically as she and Elaina held it at bay.

"We need to get away now" Elaina said as the black and white spirit energy joined in the triangle formed by Alexander's hands and began to swirl around.

"Damn and this was just getting good" Youmei replied as she and Elaina leapt away.

"Gather before me and strike my enemies, join upon my blade and release thy fury; Twilight merging Meimeikanshiki, Kurohari" Alexander finished chanting as a blast fired out from the triangle he formed with his hands and raced towards his target. The blast was white with several black stripes running down the side, when it struck the creature there was a large explosion as it was trapped into a pillar of black and white energy.

When the energy disappeared the three shinigami sighed in relief as the creature began to turn blue and disappear "Thank you all so much" they all heard a soft voice call out from the beast "please make sure Lieutenant Matsumoto is okay…"

"Damn it" Alexander swore softly as he sheathed his swords and began to grip his wound with his right hand.

"My arm" Youmei said through gritted teeth as she returned to 'normal' and sheathed her sword.

"Dad, Miss Rammyaku are you both alright?" Elaina asked.

"I'll live" they both replied.

"My naw things sure seem excitin round here" Gin said as he appeared.

"Captain Ichimaru, when did you get here?" Youmei asked.

"Just naw" Gin replied "judgin by the spirita pressas it would seem that Lieutenant Hitsugaya and Captain Ikari are tryin to kill each otha."

"Yeah, Ikari was the one who did this to them" Elaina said _"Damn I just want to ring his neck every time I'm around him!!!"_

"Is Ran okay?" Gin asked.

"Lieutenant Hitsugaya saved her, but she's a little banged up" Alexander answered "I'm sure Elaina can stitch her up" Elaina nodded.

"_Good work kidou, you continue to please me"_ Gin thought as he and the others made there way to Rangiku.

"What the hell are you doing here Gin?" Rangiku asked weakly "and what happened to my subordinates?"

"I came to see what was goin down" Gin answered.

"And I'm afraid your officers are dead" Alexander added "if you must know, I'm the one who killed them."

There were a few moments of silence before Elaina said "I'll treat your wounds."

Rangiku grabbed Elaina's hand before she could start treating her and hissed "take me to them; I want to watch Ikari pay!!!"

"Very well" Elaina replied "Dad, miss Rammyaku how are your wounds?"

"I'm fine" Youmei answered.

"I'll live" Alexander assured her as he picked up Rangiku "let's go."

*With Toushirou and Gojou*

Toushirou was being slammed into the ground by huge twister, the force of the attack continued to push him downward and created a large crater which continued to grow larger. When the attack finally died down Toushirou leapt out of the crater and swung his sword sending a large ice dragon towards Gojou.

"Useless" Gojou hissed before flicking his right wrist causing his Bankai to quickly rotate clockwise sending a horizontal twister towards the dragon.

The twister shredded the dragon to pieces on contact scattering ice all over the ground. But it didn't stop there the twister struck Toushirou head on and slammed him through a wall burying him in rubble.

"My ya sure are ruthless ain't ya?" Gin asked as he appeared on the scene causing Gojou to turn to him in surprise "I mean usin your Bankai on a kid, not to mention your lil experiment nearly blew up the entire city."

Gojou saw Rangiku and the others appear in the distance before stopping to observe the fight. "So you're here to kill me Ichimaru?" Gojou asked "for nearly killing Rangiku!?"

"Maybe" Gin replied "but I said you'd die if you raised a hand against Ran, but when did I say I'd be mine?"

"What?!" Gojou replied.

"Hey kidou, ya want me to finish him, or can ya still keep on fightin?" Gin asked "I'm sur ya goin to be labeled a hero for what u've done tonight."

"Go away, this is my fight and I intend to finish it!!!" Toushirou's voice echoed as his spiritual pressure began to rise violently and the rubble was forced off of him before he stood up.

"Impressive spiritual pressure" Alexander stated _"So he's going to use it…this should be interesting, he would always change the subject whenever I asked him about it."_

"He's badly hurt!!!" Rangiku stated from Alexander's back as she saw him standing covered in cuts on his chest, a larger cut on his forehead was bleeding over his left eye, and the worst part was that his left arm was hanging limply "help him damn it" she swore as she slapped Alexander on the back of the head.

"We'd only be in the way" Elaina stated.

"What are you talking about?" Rangiku asked "I saw how you three fight why can't you help him?"

" They're too wirn out" Gin answered "after fightin that thing they're too low on spirit energy, especially yer ride there after usin that combo spell."

"Gin" Rangiku said _"What are you getting at?!"_

"But don wirry too much" Gin added "if it gets too bad I'll take Ikari out" he pulled out his Zanpakutou and pointed it towards Gojou.

"Don't worry he seems to have another trick up his sleeve" Aizen said as he appeared on the scene "if it comes down to it I'll help out as well, and it would seem Captain Kuchki is watching this closely as well."

Rangiku, Alexander, Elaina, and Youmei looked towards a nearby alley to see Byakuya standing with his Zanpakutou held out in front of him as if he was about to drop it.

"_So you've completed your plan"_ Gin thought as Aizen grasped his sword and he looked towards Toushirou and Gojou _"don't die kid."_

"What are you a cockroach?" Gojou asked in annoyance _"I still can't believe he forced me to use my Bankai, this is a disgrace!!!"_

Toushirou sighed as his spiritual pressure began to rise even more "I really was hoping I wouldn't have to use this."

"What are you talking about?" Gojou asked.

"This power is incredibly unstable" Toushirou stated "even though it's been over ten years it still leaves quite a bit to be desired."

"Ten years?! You can't possibly mean…" Gojou spat out.

Toushirou's eyes began to glow violently before he said "Bankai!!!" Toushirou was immediately surrounded in a miniature blizzard just before it disappeared revealing Toushirou standing with an ice dragon covering his right arm as he held his sword which now had an eight point guard instead of a four point guard, he had a long tail made of ice, and floating directly behind him an ice flower with four dark purple petals "Doragonchuushin (Dragon Heart) Hyourinmaru" Toushirou chanted softly.

"So that's it? That's your Bankai?" Gojou asked.

"It's a rather small Bankai" Rangiku stated.

"Interesting…" Alexander stated _"I understand why he didn't want to show it to anyone now."_

"_I wasn't expecting this"_ Aizen thought in surprise.

"What's going on here, why does he have such a meek looking Bankai, it's pathetic" Elaina stated.

"It's incomplete" Alexander answered causing Elaina and Youmei to look at him curiously.

"My perceptive aint ya?" Gin asked "and such scary eyes."

"What do you mean it's incomplete?" Rangiku asked.

"Just that, it's not complete" Alexander replied "he may be a genius but it would seem that his powers have yet to fully develop, and thus you have this rather…how should I put this? Immature Bankai."

"Can he win?" Rangiku asked.

"Hell if I know, even I've never seen anything like this" Alexander answered causing Rangiku's eyes to open widely.

"Do you really think that you can beat me with that?!" Gojou asked angrily as one of the ice petals disappeared "I can tell it won't last long" he hissed as he tried to lift his weapon but couldn't as he looked down to a trail of ice from the boy all the way to his feet had grabbed his Bankai and made spinning it impossible.

"That last ice dragon wasn't meant to actually hit you" Toushirou stated coldly as a second petal disappeared "it was meant to create a trail of water and ice leading up to your Bankai so I could freeze it and prevent you from spinning that massive weapon of yours. Your Bankai may be more powerful than mine right now, but it's worthless if you can't spin it, as for my Bankai being incomplete and the time limit…" Gojou watched in terror as the child disappeared with a shunpo and dashed past him "…it's more than enough for me to kill you."

"Curse you boy…" Gojou hissed as a large stream of blood shot out from a cut across his chest and a third petal disappeared, almost instantly his body was incased in ice before it shattered into nothingness.

"_And that makes two men that I've killed with my own hands"_ Toushirou thought as his Bankai disappeared and he stabbed his blade into the ground to stop himself from falling as blood continued to pour out from his wounds. Suddenly the memory Alexander had shown him of his time as a Vasto Lorde flashed before him _"my Bankai is incomplete, and yet it looks just like the right arm and tail of what I had as a Vasto Lorde minus the blade, will I be just like that __**thing**__ once again when I complete it?!"_ suddenly Toushirou lost consciousness.

*The next morning*

Toushirou woke up to find himself in a hospital bed covered almost completely covered in bandages. He sighed and took up an annoyed expression.

"You don't seem too happy Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Retsu stated calmly as she entered with Isane "you seem to get involved with some rather explosive situations."

"And they seem to land me in your infirmary on a regular basis" Toushirou said in slight annoyance "sorry I'm so much trouble for you."

"You're not troublesome" Retsu stated "if anything our squad should be thanking you; if it weren't for you and your friends my hospital would be much fuller."

"How many people were affected?" Toushirou asked.

"Squad ten has lost its Captain and its third through fifth seats, and Lieutenant Matsumoto is being treated for mild injuries" Retsu explained "however I feel it would be best if she took a leave of absence for psychological stress."

"What about Alexander and Elaina Dark-Heart and my fifth seat Youmei Rammyaku?" Toushirou inquired.

"They were treated for minor injuries and were released last night" Isane stated as a hell butterfly flew in and Isane listened to the message and said "you've been summoned to the Captain's hall Captain Unohana."

Retsu smiled softly before walking out the door for a Captain's meeting.

"So how's Rangiku holding up?" Toushirou asked. Isane looked at him curiously "psychologically I mean."

"She's been pretty ruffed up by the whole ordeal" Isane answered "she's hardly said anything to anyone; I know squad nine's fourth seat had a little chat with her, apparently he wanted to find out if she felt he was responsible."

"For what?" Toushirou asked.

"Ikari's experiment turned his third through fifth seat officers into a vicious beast, apparently their combined spiritual pressure was growing at such an unstable rate that they would've exploded and taken a large chunk of the city with them, to prevent this he…killed them" Isane explained solemnly "Rangiku was good friends with them, apparently he wanted to find out if she desired any sort of revenge against him."

"I see" Toushirou replied "where is she now?"

"Her room is just down the hall" Isane answered.

"I see" Toushirou stated as he stood up and grabbed his black robe and his lieutenant's badge before saying "thank you Isane."

"So you came to visit me. Tell me was it out of pity?" Rangiku asked dryly.

"Don't kid yourself, you know I'm nowhere near as kind-hearted as you" Toushirou stated just as dryly.

"Give me a break" Rangiku spat out "you think that it's my fault that Ikari managed to even attempt that experiment and that I'm responsible for the deaths of my friends!!!"

"Do you really think I believe that? Or is that what **you** believe?" Toushirou asked as he walked towards her.

"What makes you think that?" Rangiku asked.

"Because I know you" Toushirou answered "and I know that you're an idiot and I have the facts to prove it" Rangiku looked at him crossly "Ikari was operating behind the scenes for over a decade, there was no way in Hell you could've known what he was planning, the fact is you're no more to blame than I am."

"He said the same thing as you except he left out the whole 'no more than I am' part" Rangiku chuckled weakly "you're both too damn kind for your own good."

"I'm not perfect" Toushirou sighed as he sat down next to. Moments later he felt Rangiku lay her head on his shoulder and felt her tears soak his kimono _"idiot, if you needed to cry you should've just done it the moment you regained consciousness"_ he thought before taking a deep breath and wrapping his arm around her neck _"but I guess even she needs to let it all out sometimes."_

*The Captain's hall*

"Now that we're all here it is time for the Stealth Force's official report" Yamamoto said sternly "Captain Soi Fon."

"Sir" Soi Fon replied as she took walked up to the front of the head captain "after extensive investigation, we've concluded that Former Captain Squad Ten Captain Gojou Ikari was not only involved in the illegal research of soul fusion, but…" no one could tell but Aizen was smiling widely "…he was also involved in several other forbidden acts, including but not limited to Hollowification."

There was a loud murmur of shock amongst most of the captains.

"That's quite an upset, please tell me how you came to such a conclusion" Shunsui replied.

"After investigating the squad ten office we discovered a large number of research journals that tie him to just about every single strange instance over the past several decades" Soi Fon said bitterly "I'm ashamed to admit it but the cause of all the chaos and confusion that's been plaguing us for decades was right under my nose this entire time!!! No excuses."

"Now now, there's no need for that" Shunsui added solemnly.

"_Just as I had planned"_ Aizen thought smugly.

_Flash back_

"_So Toushirou and Gojou are finally fighting each other, it's time to cover my tracks completely" _Aizen thought as he walked into Gojou's office and drew his sword before chanting "shatter Kyouka Suigetsu" moments later several dozen notebooks appeared on the desk.

_End Flashback_

"Well since that's all settled I guess we need to discuss the situation with our dear friends in the tenth squad" Shunsui stated.

"How can you be so light hearted about this situation Captain Kyouraku?" Sajin asked "it was bad enough that their Captain was a traitor, but they've also lost their third through fifth seats, and Lieutenant Matsumoto has now been put on a leave of absence."

"Are you questioning my decision Captain Komamura?" Retsu asked softly.

"Of course not" Sajin answered "but I've never heard of a squad being so thoroughly devastated like this."

"Easy, getting worked up won't help anyone" Shunsui assured him.

"If ya ask me the best thing we can do is get em a new Captain as soon as possible" Gin stated plainly "and I think ya all know who I'm talkin bout."

"How amusing, you'd recommend a child for a captain's seat" Mayuri chuckled "but I don't really care what happens."

"Can't believe I'm actually agreeing with him" Kenpachi said plainly.

"He can't claim the position through the combat method since it wasn't an official match and there weren't two hundred witnesses" Kaname stated.

"And he's stated plainly that he doesn't intend to take the Captain's exam until he's completed and perfected his Bankai" Byakuya added.

"Well there is one other option, though I'll admit it's been a while" Ukitake said calmly.

"You're referring to six Captains' recommendations and the subsequent acknowledgements of three or more Captains" Yamamoto said sternly.

"That's correct master" Ukitake replied.

There was several moments of silence before they heard "I Captain Byakuya Kuchki of squad six hereby recommend Lieutenant Toushirou Hitsugaya of squad six to be the new Captain of squad ten."

The Captains were shocked to here the incredibly cold Captain actually recommend anyone moments later they heard "I Jyuushiro Ukitake also give my recommendation."

"I also offer my recommendation" Kaname said calmly.

"Guess Ima tha fourth then" Gin stated with his grin.

"Than I'll be the fifth" Aizen said gently _"consider this my way of saying thank you Toushirou." _

"Do we have a sixth recommendation?" Yamamoto asked.

Retsu thought back to all the times Toushirou had came around to visit his troops and how he continued to keep improving but kept his humanity before saying "I'll be the sixth then."

"Very well then all that leaves are three acknowledgements" Yamamoto said plainly.

"I'll acknowledge him" Soi Fon said plainly _"after all thanks to him my investigation has been completed, now I don't owe him anything."_

"I will as well" Sajin stated.

"Then I guess that means we have a new colleague here in the Captain's hall" Shunsui said happily.

"Shunsui I can't believe you" Yamamoto stated sternly.

"Come on now old man Yama, I've had my eyes on this kid for years now" Shunsui replied "it's not often that a new Captain faces the kind of challenges he'll be, but at the same time it's a real opportunity for him and I'm interested to see what he does with it."

"Very well then dismissed" Yamamoto stated "everyone has been informed of the situation, can anyone deliver the Captain's Haori to our new colleague."

"I'll handle it" Retsu said as she picked up a small sleeveless haori and headed for the exit "I'll let him know that you recommended him first" she told Byakuya who didn't react.

As Aizen arrived in the squad five office building to find Momo waiting for him.

"How did it go?" Momo asked.

"Your friend Toushirou Hitsugaya is going to be offered the position of Squad Ten Captain.

"Really?!" Momo asked.

"Indeed" Aizen answered "he's impressive, who knows when he completes that Bankai of his he may become more powerful than me."

Momo's eyes popped open before saying "Well good night Captain Aizen."

"Good night Momo" Aizen replied pleasantly _"that should make sure my young friend doesn't become a serious threat" _he thought smugly.

*A couple of hours later*

"_I'm sorry for doing that Toushirou, but I can't let you surpass Captain Aizen. I just can't"_ Momo thought as she snuck out of his quarters.

*The next day*

"Lieutenant Matsumoto are you alright? Is it okay for you to be back so soon I heard you were on leave?" several officers asked Rangiku.

"Captain Unohana just doesn't want me on duty; I'm still free to go where I want. Why don't you people enjoy my company?" Rangiku replied.

"Of course Lieutenant, so what can you tell us about the new Captain?" they responded.

"Oi, get your asses in line" Elaina stated crudely as she walked in and forced them back "give your Lieutenant some damn space."

"Who the hell are you?" they asked in shock.

"My name is Elaina Dark-Heart" she replied with a smirk "and I'm your new fifth seat" she added causing them to look at her in shock.

"I look forward to working with you" Rangiku said happily before stating "come on now don't be shy we're like family in this squad."

"Hello everyone my name is Youmei Rammyaku, I'm going to be your new fourth seat starting today" Youmei said politely.

"Wait a minute isn't she that split personality?" one officer asked and his friend nodded "makes you wonder who or what he's going to choose as our new third seat."

As if to answer their question a mass of black energy shot out from the floor nearby revealing a man with fangs, claws, demonic eyes, and black marks on his skin with two Zanpakutou.

"Good morning dad" Elaina said happily as he returned to 'normal'.

"Good morning" Alexander stated before extending his hand to his new subordinates "allow me to introduce myself, squad ten third seat Alexander Dark-Heart, but you can call me third seat Alexander whenever my daughter is around."

"A degenerate, a split personality, and a demon what kind of people has the new Captain brought us?!" One of the soldiers asked.

"The best of the best" Elaina stated causing him to tense up immensely _"this is going to be fun."_

"Everyone pipe down" Toushirou said sternly causing his soldiers to take their places "I'm the new Captain of Squad Ten…"

"_He really is a kid…"_ many of them thought.

"…let me make some things clear" Toushirou began "I don't give a damn who you are, I don't care how old you are, I don't care if you're a man or a woman, I don't care if you grew up in a castle in a noble household or in a fruit crate out on the streets of Rukongai, and I also couldn't care less if your picture is next to certain words in the dictionary. We have our work cut out for us, our office building and grounds are wreck to put it lightly so we need to rebuild the our section of the Seireitei" the people gathered were listening intently "but that's only the beginning. Gojou Ikari spent his entire time focusing only on advancing himself and as a result of his inattentive leadership this squad's performance as suffered immensely and I won't accept that. Before we're done rebuilding this our grounds I intend for our squad to be considered the best of the best. I plan for this squad to be the one that succeeds when the other squads fail. I won't force any of you to stay here but if you wish to remain in my squad ten you better be prepared to give your all for the sake of a better soul society…any questions?"

Most of the soldiers were silent as they didn't know what to think. The new seated officers all seemed pleased and intrigued by Toushirou's little introduction speech. Moments later Rangiku began to clap and the rest of the room followed suite.

Author's Notes: And that's chapter 11 by the way make sure you remember Momo's reaction to Aizen saying that Toushirou could possibly surpass him, it's going to be important eventually. In case you're wondering I got the idea behind Toushirou's Bankai being incomplete from Bleach anime and manga where he faced his first Arrancar and he told him that his Bankai was either incomplete, immature, or not fully developed and recently in the manga he admitted that his powers weren't yet fully mature yet (don't ask me about his last attack on Halibel, I have no idea whether it'll end up working or not, either way I suspect at the very least she'll feel it in the morning). Anyway next chapter will begin my last arc before I go into the manga and anime timeline I'm calling it the 'To Hell and Back Arc" which will eventually lead into Alexander's past. Anyway take care and please leave me a review (by the way make sure you put some meat into your reviews, don't just click the button at the bottom and type a few words; talk about something that you liked or didn't like, give tips for improvements or other thoughts on the story, all I'm asking is that you type a review that makes it clear that you actually read part of the chapter. Writers often bust their asses off writing these chapters so there really is no greater insult than to just type up some five word review or say 'update soon' I get these out as fast as I can but I want to make sure I'm not just uploading a load of crap).

**Bankai Profile: Kiyoikaze Soratsubaki**

Translation: Noble Wind Soratsubaki

Gojou would turn into a large circular disk with four impressions of his shikai every ninety degrees. Spinning this large weapon had the power to create large tornados making the former squad ten captain a force of nature.

**Bankai Profile: Doragonchuushin Hyourinmaru**

Translation: Dragon Heart Hyourinmaru

Similar to Toushirou's Daigurren Hyourinmaru except it doesn't have the wings and it only has one flower. Due to Toushirou's immature powers when he first achieved Bankai he was stuck with an incomplete release that could only be maintained for incredibly short lengths of time. Thankfully due to Toushirou's ability to plan ahead and Gojou's arrogance it was enough for him to come out on top of his predecessor. Think of this as the first stage for his Bankai's development, Daigurren Hyourinmaru to be a middle point, and the final stage…you'll just have to keep reading this story if you want to see that.


	12. The Gathering Darkness

Author's notes: Guess what boys and girls…I'm still alive believe it or not. Sorry about the long wait but this was a long ass chapter so it took quite a bit of time to type up (not including the Author's comments and the term explanation this is a 30 page Microsoft Word chapter). The good news is I think the next one will be shorter which should hopefully mean you guys won't have to wait as long. Anyway this little arc takes place about a year or two before Aizen's Ku so in our time line I'm going to say the year 2005.

I do not own Bleach or Devil May Cry

This chapter contains violence, profanity, sexual humor, semi-modern political satire, and Dark elements…you have been warned.

Please enjoy and leave review

**Ch. 12 The Gathering Darkness**

"I feel disappointed because she chose a traitor like you over me" a man stated as he held out a golden axe with demonic eyes etched into the blade and blood dripping from the edge "no matter…"

"You bastard!!!" a young Alexander hissed as his tears ran down his face and he lifted his own Devil's arm "I'll never forgive you!!!" he leapt towards the older man "Maximillion…"

Suddenly the scene shifted to that of an older Alexander in his shinigami attire standing in the streets of a war torn city covered in broken building and its streets littered with the bodies of soldiers, civilians, and shinigami. His left arm was covered in a pure white aura while the rest of his body was engulfed in a pitch black aura; in his right hand was tightly gripping the released Kokuhyou while his left hand was shaking ecstatically and he kept flexing his fingers as the auras dissipated. He looked to his left to see a released Nehan sticking out of the ground; he grabbed it with his free hand and pulled it out of the ground before looking to the right to see a pair of large hollows.

"You two are going to pay dearly for that…mark my words!!!" he said darkly just before he charged the two of them with a murderous glare in his eyes.

Alexander opened his eyes to find himself in his quarters, he placed his right hand over his chest to feel his heart beating so fast he felt like it was going to burst from his chest, he was sweating heavily, and he could feel tears forming in his eyes as he focused on getting his breathing under control.

"_What a nightmare"_ he thought to himself as he turned his attention to his Zanpakutou lying sheathed on a table next to a small window _"I get the feeling things aren't going to go too smoothly for quite a while"_ he then looked at his left hand silently for a few moments before sighing and thinking _"but then again, when have things ever gone smoothly?"_

*One hour later, squad ten administrative building*

"Morning dad" Elaina said pleasantly as he walked in "you alright?"

"Didn't sleep so well" Alexander answered as he took a seat at his desk and looked around at the dozen or so desks and two large emblems one was the Kanji for ten and the other was the Daffodil before asking "where's Youmei?"

"In conference with Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto" Elaina replied as a familiar form entered the building.

"Could you please take care of him?" Alexander begged "I need to finish my coffee or I'll lose my mind."

"Certainly" Elaina assured him as the doors opened and she said "Captain Kyouraku it's been too long, how have you been?" before hugging him.

"Oh fine as usual, just thought I'd come see how my esteemed colleague was doing" Shunsui answered her happily "but it's nice to be greeted by one of the famous Black Knights of Squad Ten" he saw Alexander finish his coffee before sighing heavily and grabbing a stack of papers "is he alright?"

"He didn't get much sleep last night" Elaina answered.

"For **good **reasons or not so good reasons?" Shunsui asked suggestively.

"Not so good I would assume" Elaina replied "by the way I must warn you about one thing Captain. If you touch my ass; I'll break your arms and legs, gag your mouth so you can't talk, drag you back to Lieutenant Ise, and tell her that I found you out here drunk, swearing that you had slept with her."

"Good thing I wasn't thinking about doing it" Shunsui lied "so where's the boy genius?"

"What are you doing here, Captain Kyouraku?" Toushirou asked in annoyance as he, Rangiku, and Youmei arrived; he was holding a manila envelope and he looked as if he had been having a very good day but it had suddenly gone sour.

"What's the matter?" Shunsui asked "Rangiku and Youmei both seem happy."

"They don't find you annoying I guess" Toushirou said before looking at Alexander and asked "did you annoy my third seat into that state?"

"Come on there's no need to jump to conclusions Captain" Elaina stated "my dad came into work like that."

"Are you okay Third Seat Dark-Heart?" Youmei asked.

"I'll live" Alexander replied.

"You look like you have a hangover" Rangiku said jokingly.

"Need I remind you that I don't drink Lieutenant Matsumoto?" Alexander asked causing her to chuckle lightly.

"Well you'll want to stick around for the news I just got" Toushirou assured him with a slight smirk "unless you have something important to tell me Kyouraku…"

"Don't worry about me, I just thought I'd stop by to say hi" Shunsui said lightly.

Toushirou cleared his throat before saying "everyone I have an announcement so listen up; I don't want to repeat myself…" the seated officers turned to their Captain in polite curiosity "…it's been twenty five years since I became the Captain of this squad, as many of you remember back then this building was a wreck; this office area where you all sit had been a lab that my predecessor had used for forbidden research…"

"_Not to mention unpleasant"_ Elaina thought in disgust as she remembered the results of the Soul Fusion experiment _"so what are you getting at?"_

"…and to make matters worse, our squad was in utter disarray due to not only his death but of the tragic loss of your former third through fifth seats" Toushirou gave them a moment of respectful silence "which is why I'm proud to inform you that according to the latest squad inspections, not only is our one of the most financially efficient squads…"

"Considering the fact that the Central Forty Six has been screwing us over on the budget year after year, did we have any other choice?" one of the officers said plainly.

"Tell me about it" another added.

"As I was saying" Toushirou said sternly causing both of them to quickly remember just how rude it was to interrupt other people while they were talking "according to this inspection our squad has the highest percentage of members who can use their shikai and our performance reviews put us in towards the top of the performance charts right next to squads five, six, and…"

"Eight" Shunsui added.

"Yes and squad eight" Toushirou said in annoyance _"such an annoying man."_

The entire room broke out into applause putting a small smirk on Toushirou's face. Alexander couldn't help but smirk along with his former subordinate and current Captain as he thought back to the days just after Gojou's defeat.

_Flashback _

"Tell me Lieutenant Matsumoto do you desire any sort of revenge against me?" Alexander asked plainly.

"For what?" Rangiku asked from her hospital bed still grieving over the past twenty four hours.

"I killed your friends remember?" Alexander stated bluntly.

Rangiku was silent before she asked "why do you always try to take responsibility for everything that happens?"

"Those who have power must be held accountable, I have too much not to be" Alexander answered plainly "I'm sorry but I have to know, what is your answer?"

"You're pathetic, if you have so much power you should focus on using it to hunt down scumbags to help prevent situations like that from happening again…" Rangiku sighed "…Gojou Ikari was the one who killed my friends not you, so please leave me alone."

"Understood" Alexander replied "I think Lieutenant Hitsugaya will come by as soon as he wakes up."

*Squad nine office*

"So you were released from squad four?" Kaname asked "I'm glad you weren't hurt too badly."

"How did the Captain's meeting go?" Alexander inquired.

"The Stealth Force is in the middle of removing the equipment Ikari used from the squad ten office building, for obvious reasons certain details will remain classified" Kaname answered "and Lieutenant Hitsugaya received the necessary number of recommendations and acknowledgements to be promoted."

"I can't see him turning down such an opportunity" Alexander sighed _"and I still have yet to gain a Lieutenant's seat."_

"He already accepted, and he sent you this" Kaname added as he held out a letter addressed to him, Alexander grabbed it and began to read it "I imagine he wants you in his new squad."

"As a third seat" Alexander confirmed before extending his hand and saying "this sounds interesting so I'm going to accept, it's been a pleasure working under you."

"I wish you well" Kaname replied as he shook his former subordinate's hand "even if you're no longer under my command we're still allies right?"

"In the quest for justice, yeah we are. Best of luck to you as well Captain Tousen" Alexander replied as he headed for his new squad _"I don't know what you've been keeping from me all these years…but I know one thing with absolute certainty. You and I shouldn't fight each other it just wouldn't be right."_

_End Flashback_

"Congratulations Captain Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Matsumoto" Youmei said with a smile across her face.

"Just remember you helped make this possible to" Rangiku said happily as she put Youmei in a head lock.

"_Yeah I suppose I did alright" _Youmei thought pleasantly.

_Flashback _

"Captain Kuchki, Lieutenant Hitsugaya…I mean Captain Hitsugaya has offered me a position as the Fourth Seat of Squad Ten" Youmei said nervously "and I've decided to accept."

"I see" Byakuya replied without even the slightest sign of emotion "is there anything else?"

"I just wanted to tell you that you really saved my life Captain" Youmei began "after my other side was born it was like I became a nobody. My own family disowned me and I was so devastated that I just lost my sense of self worth, I felt like I was just an insignificant foot soldier who didn't warrant any recognition. But then one day you offered me an officer's seat within your squad, you acknowledged me knowing full well what I am and yet you treated me just like everyone else…like a normal person. I know you'd never admit to it but you're a very kind person and that's why I was so happy to work under you and I'm sure it's why Captain Hitsugaya was proud to be your Lieutenant for ten years" she was smiling as she said "so I want to say thank you…" she headed for the door and thought _"…and I love you Captain Kuchki."_

"_If you love him why don't you stay in squad six?" _her alternate asked dully _"in squad ten you're not going to see him as much."_

"_I don't plan to stay in squad ten forever" _Youmei answered.

"_So which squad do you have your eyes on?" _the other her replied still not sounding the least bit interested.

"_I don't know which squad but I know what rank I'm aiming for"_ Youmei replied.

"_Rank?! No way you're actually planning to…" _her alternate began with a big smile.

"…_become a Captain" _Youmei finished for her _"that way I'll be working __**with **__him, not under him."_

"_You realize that'll mean Bankai training and…" _her alter said with a chuckle.

"…_more violent and dangerous missions, so can I count on your help if needed?"_ Youmei asked.

"_You damn bet" _she replied as if someone had announced that she had just won the lottery.

_End flashback_

"After about twenty years of getting screwed by the Central Forty Six, being assigned more Captain and Lieutenant Class missions than the other squads, and having to run a whole squad on a skeleton crew's budge; we finally managed to stick it to those over privileged bastards" Elaina said happily "I wonder how we'll smite them next" she pondered with an evil smirk.

"That's not very nice Elaina" Youmei said as she took her own seat "you sound as if the Central Forty Six has an agenda against us."

"Fourth seat Rammyaku, my Dad is warlock from the world of the living, I'm a degenerate, you're a split personality, and the Captain is an out spoken critic of everything they stand for…of course they have an agenda against us" Elaina replied "how the hell else do you explain our microscopic budget and the fact that we seem to get more paper work than the other damn squads?!"

"You don't seemed to bothered by it all" Youmei added plainly.

"Well I was kind of expecting all that when I accepted the promotion anyway" Elaina explained "and besides I haven't been disappointed with the laughs."

_Flashback_

"So you're going to be joining up with squad ten?" Ukitake asked pleasantly.

"Yep this is a good opportunity for advancement" Elaina answered "still I loved working with you Captain Ukitake…but I don't really care for having to take orders from Kiyone and Sentarou."

"I wouldn't mind having you as my Lieutenant" Ukitake assured her.

"I'm flattered it's just that…" Elaina began "…having a limiter placed on me every time I head out to the world of the living is just a real deal killer for me. It's just not enough authority for me to put up with that, and besides…" Ukitake looked at her in confusion as she drew her sword and suddenly Onitsume materialized next to her "…if I became a lieutenant I wouldn't have much time to work on subduing this ugly bastard."

"So you're working on Bankai training?" Ukitake asked in surprise "I suppose you have your mind set on becoming a Captain."

"Yep" Elaina replied as Onitsume disappeared "but in the mean time I'll be joining the tenth squad" she smiled deviously "this should be amusing."

_End Flashback_

"Is that why you joined squad ten, for laughs?" Youmei asked.

"That's right" Elaina replied "I mean it wasn't really that hard to see if you think about it. Captain Hitsugaya has got to be one of the strictest, most professional, and one of the most mature of the Captains; and then you have Lieutenant Matsumoto whose pretty much the exact opposite, put them together and you have a comedy show of epic proportions."

"Does this have something to do with why you never knock before entering their office?" Youmei asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's part of a little something I like to call blackmailing" Elaina explained causing Youmei to raise an eyebrow "the way I see it judging by how those two act around each other it's only a matter of time before I walk in on the two of them in the middle of something incredibly embarrassing for the Captain or I'll catch them doing something obscene…" Youmei's jaw was hanging open and she had a slight blush "…either way it should be worth a good laugh and I might be able to get a nice long vacation out of the Captain depending on what I walk in on" Youmei was utterly speechless.

"Damn her" Toushirou hissed as he and Rangiku started heading towards the main office.

"Oh come on Captain, you know she was just kidding" Rangiku said cheerfully as they entered.

"She **doesn't **kid around, she **never** says something unless she means it" Toushirou replied as he walked up to his desk and laid the papers down _"how in the hell do I manage to keep this squad running again?"_

"Okay you have a point. But you should seriously relax captain, you've done an excellent job since you took over, our subordinates are better off than they ever were under Ikari, and besides…" Rangiku stated as she walked up behind Toushirou and stretched his lips out into a smile "…I never do anything to embarrass you so she won't have anything to black mail you with."

Three seconds later a loud shout rang "RANGIKU!!!" throughout the entire building.

"What was that?" Shunsui asked in concern as the ground shook beneath them.

"Just another day in squad ten" one officer informed him lightly as a counter near the center of the floor went from twenty seven to twenty eight.

"And what's the deal with that?" Shunsui asked curiously.

"Oh that was something me and the others started when Captain Hitsugaya first took over" Elaina answered "each month we buy a guess as to how many times the Captain will shout the Lieutenants name so loud it can be heard throughout the building, whoever guesses the closest wins the money we all put down; last month my dad won when he guessed forty times and the Captain shouted it forty one times."

"Sounds entertaining" Shunsui chuckled as he walked up and placed his money on fifty five times.

"Still you've done very well these past twenty five years" Rangiku assured him "we're going to through a party at one of the local restaurants tonight to celebrate, you should stop by" she said cheerfully before taking her seat.

Toushirou was silent as he took his own seat and thought _"you're just too much Rangiku."_

_One last Flashback_

"I've received enough recommendations and acknowledgements to become a Captain?" Toushirou asked in surprise just outside Rangiku's room.

"We like to keep all thirteen Captain's seats filled whenever possible and though it wasn't an official match you did defeat the previous Captain so we felt you were the best available option" Retsu answered.

"That really takes the thrill out of this moment" Toushirou sighed.

"If it makes you feel any better Captain Kuchki was the first one to recommend you" Retsu assured him.

"Really?" he replied and she nodded.

"Of course the choice is yours ultimately" Retsu stated "do you need some time to decide?"

"Ah come on don't be scared take the promotion or I'll get Yachiru to visit you in front of your Captain and the rest of your squad" Rangiku said loudly causing Toushirou to raise an eyebrow as he opened the door to see Rangiku turning in her sleep "be our new Captain it'll be fun."

"It would seem Lieutenant Matsumoto would like to have you for a Captain" Retsu said with a pleasant smile.

"_Such a troublesome woman"_ Toushirou thought in annoyance as his eyes turned towards the white sleeveless haori in Retsu's hands before saying "I accept the offer, otherwise I fear the tenth squad will go completely insane if left completely in her hands."

Retsu smirked lightly as she watched the young man dawn his new haori and the kanji for ten settled on his back "that haori suits you."

"I hope the same won't be said about my squad's symbol" Toushirou sighed.

"You don't like the Daffodil?" Retsu asked pleasantly.

"Should I be proud to have a symbol that represents egoism?" Toushirou asked "it's a far cry from the Camellia which symbolizes noble intentions."

"I'll agree that Egoism fit Ikari better than you" Retsu said calmly "but did you know that the Daffodil actually symbolizes something besides egoism?"

"What would that be?" Toushirou asked, moments later Retsu whispered the answer to him and he calmly said "well it's better than egoism at least" he began to head for the exit.

"May I ask if you have anyone in mind for those empty officers' seats in your squad?" Retsu asked curiously.

"Let's just say I know some people; they're strong, they're intelligent, and probably most importantly of all…" Toushirou sighed heavily "…they're likely the only ones crazy enough to accept."

"I wish you the best of luck" Retsu said calmly as he walked out "looks like you got your wish Lieutenant Matsumoto."

"How'd you know I wasn't asleep?" Rangiku asked.

"I am a doctor Lieutenant" Retsu stated simply.

"Thanks for playing along" Rangiku said gratefully "our squad needs a leader and I don't think I'm in any shape to handle it."

"_Women" _Toushirou thought in annoyance as he listened in _"this is going to be interesting."_

_End flashback_

"Let's get this party started" Rangiku declared to the pub filled mostly with squad ten officers "first round is on me" the pub filled with applause almost instantly, some of the shinigami couldn't help but notice that the bar keep seemed to be applauding the loudest.

"Where's Toushirou?" Momo asked curiously.

"Knowing him, he's probably buried himself in paperwork" Elaina said plainly.

"He really needs to stop pushing himself so hard" Youmei said in concern as she took a sip of tea.

"Why does your squad get so much paper work?" Shuuhei asked.

"The Central Forty Six doesn't care for us I'm afraid" Alexander answered as he drank some herbal tea "by the way how is Captain Tousen doing?"

"He's doing well, he asked me to find out how you and your daughter were doing" Shuuhei replied.

"We're still standing" Alexander said pleasantly as he turned his attention towards Izuru who was sitting at a table with an empty bottle and appeared to be unconscious "is Lieutenant Kira really drunk already?"

"He was never all that great at holding his liquor" Shuuhei said plainly.

"I propose a toast" one officer announced from the center of the floor as he held up his cup of sake judging by his posture everyone could tell he was likely already buzzing "to our brilliant Captain for saving us from Ikari and turning us into a right proper squad, to Lieutenant Matsumoto for always making us smile when times are rough, and to our squads Black Knights for helping put our squad on the map."

"Here, here" many of the shinigami replied as they took a drink.

"I need to recommend that guy for a promotion" Elaina said happily.

"It was nice…even if he was a bit drunk" Youmei had to hold back a chuckle.

"Seriously though, ya guys are da best" Rangiku slurred as she put Alexander in a head lock "ya need ta accept da glamour mir" she smiled as she let him go and he began to rub his neck, moments later she hiccupped causing the entire bar to go silent.

"Did Lieutenant Matsumoto just hiccup?" Elaina asked with a hint of panic in her voice.

"Everyone on your toes" Youmei commanded in a terrified tone.

"Come on yer a man let up a lil" Rangiku slurred as Alexander's marks spread across his body.

Rangiku jokingly punched towards her third seat "Oh Fu…" Alexander began but was cut off as the supposed joke punch sent him flying straight through the wall and he landed in the street.

"What's going on here?!" Momo asked in shocked terror.

"Damn it the Lieutenant's **actually** drunk" Elaina swore loudly as she leapt towards Rangiku and grabbed her right arm and locked her right leg with her own leg.

"Not good" Youmei said in fear as she grabbed Rangiku's left side just as Elaina had for her right side and begged "please Lieutenant you have to stop."

"Ah I luv ya guys" Rangiku chuckled before sending them both flying through the same hole as Alexander.

"Rangiku please" Shuuhei pleaded as he got in front of her "I don't want to hurt you…" he was almost immediately crashed into the floor and the rest of the patrons were standing in terror against the walls.

"Why in the hell is she so much stronger when she's freaking drunk?!" Elaina asked angrily as she, Youmei, and Alexander dug themselves out of the debris.

"We need to stop her before she really hurts someone" Youmei stated "do you have a plan third seat Dark-Heart?!"

"Slow her down with kidou for as long as you can!!!" Alexander stated as the two women looked at him curiously before he began chanting "Walls of Iron Sand…"

Elaina pointed two fingers at Rangiku as she made her way out onto the streets and said "Bakudou 63: Sajousabaku" wrapping her in a chain of pure kidou.

"…A priestly pagoda, glowing iron clad fire flies…" Alexander continued to chant.

"Bakudou 61: Rikujyoukuro" Youmei chanted causing six rods of light to slam Rangiku from all sides.

"…standing up right, silent to the end…" Alexander chanted.

Suddenly the two binding spell shattered "ah ya guys are such kiddas" Rangiku slurred as she continued towards the three.

"…Bakudou 75: Gochuu Tekkan" Alexander finished chanting causing a quintet of iron pillars connected to one another by a silver chain to rain down from the sky and pin Rangiku's limbs and head to the ground.

"A third seat using a seventies level spell?" Momo stated in shock.

"Trust me I have far nastier tricks in my arsenal, personally I hope that you never have to see them" Alexander stated. Moments later the pillars began to crack "Oh Hell no!!!"

"Are we really going to have to hurt her?!" Elaina asked dumbstruck as she watched her father's binding spell shatter and Rangiku stood back up slightly tilted.

"Forgive me lieutenant" Youmei begged as she drew her blade before feeling a familiar spiritual pressure "Captain Hitsugaya."

"Dare I ask what's going on here?" Toushirou asked as he looked around at the frightened soldiers, the broken walls, and his Lieutenant who looked as if she was about to fall over.

"The Lieutenant got drunk Captain, and I do mean **really** drunk" Elaina answered _"damn it out of all the nasty things and people I've fought in my life and I can't even handle one drunken Lieutenant when I have my dad and Youmei helping me."_

"Wonderful" Toushirou sighed "how bad is she?"

"I hit her with a level seventies binding spell and she managed to break free" Alexander explained.

"So then you're telling me?" Toushirou seemed incredibly pissed at this point.

"Yes Captain" Alexander answered Rangiku walked up behind the silver haired Captain and slumped forward with her arms hanging over his shoulders and her head on top of his "she's so drunk, that the only thing that seems to stop her is you showing up."

"I swear if I don't go mad because of this woman it'll be a miracle" the young Captain hissed.

"Ah I have the cutest lil Captain" Rangiku seemed to slur unconsciously causing Toushirou's face to contort with utter rage.

"RANGIKU!!!" he shouted causing a counter in the officer's section of the administrative building to go from twenty eight to twenty nine.

"What just happened?" Momo asked in disbelief as she watched her child hood friend carry off his Lieutenant on his back.

"That happens sometimes when Lieutenant Matsumoto gets drunk" Youmei informed her.

"Usually we can stop her but when she gets **really** drunk the Captain ends up having to step in and then she seems to just calm down almost instantly" Alexander explained "it's one of strange things about working in the tenth squad but we've learned to just go with it."

"_Lil shirou, just what have you gotten yourself into"_ Momo worried _"I hope I didn't make a mistake when I…no what am I thinking? I didn't make any sort of mistake, I can't let anyone surpass Captain Aizen." _

"You're a **very **troublesome woman Rangiku" Toushirou sighed heavily as he shut the door to her quarters, suddenly he noticed a flicker of wings in the nearby night sky as it approached Toushirou recognized it as a Hell Butterfly "what now?" he asked as it landed on his finger tips.

"Captain Hitsugaya report to the head Captain's office immediately" the message rang through his mind.

"Great just one annoyance after another" Toushirou said dryly "try and not to cause too much trouble Rangiku" he begged before disappearing with a shunpo.

Toushirou arrived just outside the Head Captain's office a couple minutes later, he made sure his outfit was properly straightened before opening the door.

"I appreciate you coming here on such short notice" Yamamoto said plainly as the youngest Captain in anyone's memory walked in.

"You asked for me sir?" Toushirou said as he walked in eyes locked with the ancient head captain even though the latter still had his eyelids shut before noticing that they weren't the only shinigami wearing a white haori in the room "something must be seriously wrong if you've called me and Captain Unohana here."

"We have an unusual situation" Retsu said calmly.

"Do you know of the Coastal Satellite city of Panama?" Yamamoto asked sternly.

"It's a coastal city located about three hundred miles west of Rukongai I've never been but I hear it's a popular vacation resort" Toushirou answered and Yamamoto nodded "Why what's happened?"

"To put it bluntly we don't know yet" Yamamoto stated "for the past two days we've received no reports from out troops, so we must conclude that they've been attacked thus preventing them from communicating with us." The old man opened his eyes "which is why I'm sending you Squad Ten Captain Toushirou Hitsugaya and Squad Four Captain Retsu Unohana to investigate the situation and provide any combat or medical support necessary; gather whatever forces you can and be prepared to leave at sunset, command of this mission goes to Captain Unohana."

"Understood" the two Captains replied in sync as they walked out of the office.

"Considering the size of the city we should both gather whatever officers and soldiers we have available" Retsu said to the younger Captain "If all goes well we should be able to reach the city within two or three days."

"If I may make a suggestion" Toushirou began and Retsu nodded "I'll need a chance to talk to one of my subordinates but we may be able to change the ETA from days to hours if we're lucky."

"Sounds good, let me know how it works via a Hell Butterfly; in the mean time let's gather our forces" Retsu replied before they parted ways.

Back in the office the old man opened his eyes as he read over the reports of Toushirou's Bankai and how it's changed over the years "it started off as simple ice dragon head for a hand and a tail also made of ice. Over the years it's only become more like **that**. There's no doubt about it that **thing** has returned…"

"And what would that **'thing'** happen to be?" a lazy voice asked as he came into the Head Captain's office.

"What do you want Shunsui?" Yamamoto asked.

"I was just wandering about" Shunsui answered playfully "by the sounds of it you're concerned because of our young colleague and his Bankai" Yamamoto looked his student right in the eyes causing him to raise an eyebrow "or are you actually afraid of him?"

"You think I'm afraid of a child?" Yamamoto asked.

"At the very least you seem worried about something" Shunsui replied "what I don't understand is why, the kid's powerful but he's no match for you, so why are you so worried about him?"

"Have you seen his Bankai and how it's changed over the past couple of decades?" Yamamoto asked sternly and Shunsui noticed "does it remind you of anything?"

"So that's it" Shunsui chuckled "you're referring to the Ice Dragon like Vasto Lorde you faced about a century and a half go aren't you?"

"How can you be so calm at the thought of halving that beast's reincarnation as a Captain in the Thirteen Court Guards Squads?" Yamamoto asked.

"Simple, because he's on our side" Shunsui answered "I understand your concern, if he really was that Vasto Lorde before he came to Soul Society then he was the one who killed six of our comrades, good Captains every single one of them. But he was a hollow, it's not like he could have helped it. But I can't help but wonder about a couple of things."

"Is that why you're here in the first place?" Yamamoto asked and Shunsui nodded "what is it?"

"I paid squad ten a visit this morning and I noticed that their entire compound seemed to be swarmed by Stealth Force operatives; there are only three who can mobilize the Stealth Force. You, Captain Soi Fon, and of course there's the obvious third party" Shunsui began as he eyed his teacher with curiosity "secondly theres the issue of this latest mission to Panama; while it's true that it's a large area and that it's better to be safe then sorry, but there's really no reason to send more than one Captain. Even when you designate who's in charge if often causes problems with the mission's chain of command and I couldn't help but notice something very **interesting**" Yamamoto put his hands together as listened to his old student "Captain Unohana arrived here about ten minutes before Captain Hitsugaya, now Captain Hitsugaya doesn't fool around when he's called on meaning that Captain Unohana was brought in earlier on purpose, my guess would be you had something to discuss with **her** that you **didn't** want Captain Hitsugaya to hear."

"Get to the point" Yamamoto barked.

"Who ordered for Captain Hitsugaya to be put under investigation by the Stealth Force and for Captain Unohana to monitor him on this latest mission and more importantly what is he being investigated for?" Shunsui asked inquisitively.

"You know I can not answer those questions" Yamamoto replied as he closed his eyes calmly.

"That's very interesting" Shunsui said as he put his hand to his chin "judging by your reaction you're not telling me who ordered this investigation because you honestly can't legally, but you're not answering my other question for two reasons…" Yamamoto raised an eyebrow "…the first is because of the same reason why you won't tell me who ordered the investigation in the first place…"

"And the second?" Yamamoto asked.

"You don't know why he's being investigated yourself" Shunsui answered with a smirk causing Yamamoto to open his eyes once again "which rules you and Captain Soi Fon out for initiating this investigation since she answers to you and you would obviously know why an investigation you ordered was started in the first place; that means it was ordered by the third party. Am I right?"

The old man was silent for several moments before saying "sometimes you're too smart for your own good Shunsui."

"I can't help my self, I'm a curious person" Shunsui replied cheerfully "well that's enough investigating for one night, and I need to get some Sake in my system, good night old man."

*The next morning*

"So Captain what was this 'faster method' Captain Hitsugaya mentioned?" Isane asked _"This part of town gives me the creeps."_

"Probably the secret to some of his squad's completion times" Retsu answered as Isane and several dozen medics followed her through an abandoned section of the Seireitei "in any case I don't have any reason to believe he was being untruthful" they then came upon a clearing to find well over fifty shinigami standing in large circle that had been dug in the ground. "This is interesting" she saw her fellow Captain talking to Rangiku and noticed his top officers were listening in.

"It's a shame we're not going there to hit the beach, I could use a day or two off, my head hurts" Rangiku whined.

"It's your own damn fault" Toushirou said bluntly "if you would stop drinking so much you wouldn't get so many hangovers!"

"Ah Captain you're so mean" Rangiku replied.

"Are you ready to go?" Retsu asked as she and her healers joined their squad ten colleagues.

"We're ready if you are" Toushirou replied professionally and Retsu nodded "Do it Third Seat Dark-Heart."

"Yes sir" Alexander said as he made his way to an 'X' in the dead center of the circle and his marks appeared before he cleared his throat so loudly that everyone heard him and looked towards him, the medics from squad four all had an expression of terrified curiosity across their faces "morning ladies and gentlemen, for those of you who don't already know allow me to explain what's about to happen. Normally it would take a couple of days to reach our objective, since my Captain isn't patient he's asked me to distort the very fabric of time and space to warp all of us to a drop off point I created in my younger days, after we arrive we'll be about two hours away from the Panama Satellite. Now before I do this I just want to tell you a couple of things; first of all while we're teleporting you may feel as if something cold, dark, and horrible is trying to rip your hearts out through your feet…just so you know that's nothing to worry about…" most of the medics including Isane raised an eyebrow at his comment and felt their jaws drop slightly at his comment "…but more importantly, whatever you do, for the love of whatever God you believe in, if any…do not under any circumstances allow any part of your body to cross the line in the ground."

"What happens if we do that?" Isane asked before thinking _"why did I just ask that?!"_

"Believe me you don't want to know" Alexander replied "now if there are no other questions I've got some dimensional distorting to do"

Retsu and the members of squad ten were completely calm while most of the squad four members wore an expression of absolute terror as Alexander stretched out both arms and began flexing his fingers.

"_I think we should run while we can…"_ one medic thought as he eyed the line in the ground.

"Don't even think about it kid" Alexander told him freezing him in his tracks as a black aura began to surround his body _"destination connection confirmed, radius of drop off zone approximately fifteen yards, teleportation in three…" _black energy spread out from hisfeet and covered the ground all the way to the circle in the ground _"…two…" _the energy began to rise into the air and form a dome fifteen yards over their heads.

"Is this really safe?" Isane asked in concern.

"Of course it's safe…" Rangiku answered cheerfully and Isane sighed in relief "…mostly."

"What?!" Isane replied in terror.

"…_one" _Alexander thought as he smiled insanely and began to laugh psychotically as all the other shinigami were surrounded by a black aura just like him; moments later the dome dispersed revealing the shinigami to be in the middle of a calm field next to a dirt road "now tell me something boys and girls; raise your hands if you felt that sensation I explained earlier?" almost every shinigami raised his or her hand.

"I take it this is how your squad has managed to complete so many long distance missions so quickly?" Retsu asked seemingly un-phased by the whole experience.

"He's very good at cutting down on travel times" Toushirou answered "it really is a shame the Central Forty Six wouldn't just accept his clan's offer for a partnership instead of hunting them down to the point of extinction, our forces would both be a Hell of lot stronger if they had."

"_His distaste for the Central Forty Six is quite evident"_ Retsu thought before turning to his third seat and asking "where are we exactly?"

"About an hour outside the city" Alexander answered as his black aura disappeared and his marks faded away "I decided it wasn't a good idea to create a drop off point in the middle of an urban area, might cause a panic."

"We better get going" Toushirou said as he and his soldiers followed him onto the road.

"Is there a reason why you're in such a hurry?" Retsu asked curiously.

"If this really is an emergency the sooner we get there the more likely we'll be able to help the shinigami stationed there and any civilians, or if it's just some minor communication problem as I suspect the sooner we can confirm it the sooner we can get back to the Seireitei and get some work done" Toushirou answered.

"Oh come on Captain, if it's really nothing we should take a day or two off from work and hit the beach" Rangiku whined "I mean when was the last time I…I mean we had a vacation."

"You're more or less on vacation just about every damn day" Toushirou hissed "I haven't had a day off ever since I became a Captain that **wasn't** due to injuries because I'm always stuck doing **your** paperwork!!!" Rangiku started rubbing the back of her head.

"Which is all the more reason why you should take one if it's nothing" Rangiku said cheerfully earning her a dark glance from her Captain.

"_An…interesting relationship with his Lieutenant" _Retsu thought quietly as she walked over to Elaina and Isane "so how has squad ten been treating you Miss Dark-Heart?"

"Oh it's been a blast" Elaina replied with a smile "my Captain and Lieutenant are absolutely hilarious "but there is one thing that bugs me."

"_This sounds promising"_ Retsu thought.

"What would that be?" Isane asked.

"A lot of people seem to think that I manipulate them into acting like a crazy married couple for my own amusement" Elaina began "the truth is I've never manipulated them, not even once. I don't get my kicks by manipulating people into insane and humiliating situations; I get them by hanging around crazy people and laughing at the fall out. In fact I've never manipulated anyone in my life and yet people act like I'm some dark puppet master like Karl Rove or something."

"Sorry to hear that" Retsu chuckled "it sounds like you've been doing well since you left my squad."

"Yeah I've been alright, speaking of my squad four days I hear you manage to fill that old seventh seat of mine…" Elaina replied "…was I really **that** easy to replace?"

"I really don't think anyone can ever replace you" Isane answered with a chuckle "you have a very **unique **personality."

.

Suddenly a strange creature flew high over the traveling group of shinigami, most didn't notice but several of them noticed that it was flying far too high to just be a bird causing them to watch it intently as it flew in the same direction they were walking _"this can't be good."_

*About an hour away*

"My lady it seems that we have a large number of shinigami approaching the city as we speak"

"How'd they react so quickly when we're this far from the Seireitei?" a woman asked in calm curiosity.

"It would seem one of them is like you and the young master my lady"

She smirked dangerously "really, tell me is this shinigami strong?"

"Yes, from what I could tell he's the second strongest in the group" her servant replied "however there are several other strong shinigami, including two Captains."

"Oh that shouldn't be a problem" she replied "here's what we're going to do."

*Back with the shinigami*

"This is…" Toushirou gasped.

"…a nightmare" Alexander stated as they came into town to find that it had been turned into a warzone; the almost every single building was either burning or completely demolished the streets were covered in cracks, craters, ashes, ruble, and bodies of both shinigami and civilians. _"This is just like back then…" _Alexander thought as the smell of smoke filled his nostrils.

"Captain Hitsugaya I want you and your men to look for survivors and for any clues as to what caused this" Retsu ordered calmly "Isane I want you to manage our medics to aid any survivors, I want any findings reported to me."

"Understood" both Toushirou and Isane replied as they and the other officers took a handful of subordinates with them.

*Two hours later*

"Captain Unohana" Alexander said calmly as he made his way into her make shift infirmary there were about a dozen shinigami receiving medical attention along with a few civilians but they were all unconscious.

"Have you found anything?" Retsu asked "or any more survivors?"

"No clues Ma'am" Alexander answered "and the only other survivor we found was this boy" he stepped to the side to reveal a small boy with the appearance of an eight year old, he had dark blue eyes and short spiky black hair, he had apparently been on the beach when the incident occurred since he was bare foot and was dressed only in a pair of swimming trunks. He was shaking nervously as Retsu looked at the scrapes and bruises across his body.

"You seem to be in much better shape than the other survivors" Retsu said softly "what's your name?"

The boy cowered behind Alexander in fear causing both the Captain and the Third Seat to raise an eyebrow in confusion, Alexander shrugged his shoulders before turning to the boy and saying softly "it's alright, she's not going to hurt you; we just want to know what happened here and we'd like to see if you know anything okay?" the boy nodded slowly as he looked at the older man in the eyes. Alexander smiled before saying "let me introduce myself; I'm the Third Seat of the Seireitei's Tenth Squad, Alexander Dark-Heart, but you can call me Alex. What's your name?"

"I…Ion" the boy answered nervously "and I don't really know what happened…at first me and my friends were just playing on the beach…before we knew it creatures with white face attacked and…" he appeared to be on the verge of tears.

" It's okay Ion" Alexander said calmly "will it be alright to leave him here for medical treatment?"

"Of course" Retsu answered "they'll take care of your injuries, me and Mr. Dark-Heart here have to go talk about some very important things. Is that alright Ion?"

Ion looked at Alexander who still had a soft smile before saying "okay miss uh…Unohana was it?"

"That's right" Retsu said cheerfully as she and Alexander headed towards the beach to reach the other officers "you have a way with children Third Seat Dark-Heart."

"I feel sorry for that boy" Alexander sighed earning him a curious look from Retsu "his injuries may heal quickly but he's already seen Hell upfront, it's going to make his life tough I'm afraid."

Retsu was silent for a couple of moments before saying "I can see why your daughter turned out so well. She really lo…"

"With all due respect Captain, if there's one thing I know it's that I don't deserve to be loved" Alexander sighed as looked down to the white Zanpakutou sheathed around his waist "I'm reminded of that every time I use this sword."

Retsu looked at his two Zanpakutou for a couple of seconds before asking "May I ask how you came into possession of two unique Zanpakutou if you're not a split personality like your fourth seat?" Alexander had a very solemn expression on his face "I'm not going to say how old I am but I've been in this line of work for many, many years and I've never seen someone like you before. And then there's the fact that you became a shinigami despite the fact that your people were hunted down to the brink of extinction by our forerunners."

"Those are both very long and painful stories" Alexander replied "and I'm afraid we both have work to do."

Retsu saw that he was fighting back tears before saying "I'm sorry, my curiosity got the best of me."

"Take this Captain" Alexander said as he held out a crystal in his hand.

"What is this?" Retsu asked.

"If you'd like to know the answers to those questions hold that crystal in your hand and focus your spirit energy into it; it'll create a dream like experience which will give you a front row seat to my past. But I must warn you of one thing…" Alexander explained earning him a curious look from the fourth squad Captain "…once you start viewing it'll take at least a few hours to finish, so make sure know one's going to need you for at least six or seven hours before you begin."

"Why are you giving me this?" Retsu asked.

"I may not know how old you are since you don't look a day older than me, or why the Stealth Force has been swarming our section of the city for the past few weeks…" Alexander replied causing Retsu to raise an eyebrow in alarm "…or why the Central Forty Six has asked you to monitor my Captain and the rest of us for this mission. But I do know that you're not the type of person who would go out and share other people's personal information with others."

"_He knows?!" _ Retsu thought before looking at the crystal in her hand half expecting it to explode or something.

"Relax; I wasn't lying about that crystal the worst it can do is give you nightmares. Personally I'd be surprised if it even did that much to you" Alexander half chuckled.

"How'd you know that the Central Forty Six ordered me to monitor your squad?" Retsu asked.

"Whenever the Head Captain hands out a mission he feels requires the attention of multiple Captains he never designates a commanding Captain he just let's them decide on their own how they'll work together to complete the mission and because you just admitted to it" Alexander answered with a slight chuckle.

"_He's very sharp"_ Retsu thought earnestly impressed.

"If my word's worth anything we aren't doing anything dangerous, immoral, or illegal" Alexander assured her lightly "but feel free to see what's on the crystal in your free time if you're that curious about a lowly seated officer like myself."

"_An odd man"_ Retsu thought to herself as she pocketed the crystal and they arrived on the beach to find Toushirou, Rangiku, Youmei, Elaina, and Isane waiting for them.

"Have any of the survivors woken up yet?" Toushirou asked.

"No I'm afraid not" Retsu answered.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish we could just write this off as a normal hollow attack" Youmei sighed.

"What do you mean?" Isane asked.

"There are far too many craters and fires to have been caused by stray kidou blasts, meaning that the hollows had some fire power of their own" Elaina explained.

"And if there was a hollow attack the troops stationed here should've sent a Hell Butterfly to notify the Seireitei the moment they saw them approaching before they even attacked" Rangiku stated.

"Which would mean that whatever or who ever did this was able to hide their spiritual pressures long enough to attack them before they could send out a Hell Butterfly and they were able to keep up the assault long enough to prevent anyone from sending out an S.O.S." Toushirou added as he looked out to sea to see a small island out in the distance "Fifth Seat Dark-Heart you've been here before right?"

"Yeah" Elaina replied.

"Is there anything you can tell me about that Island out there?" Toushirou asked pointing to the island.

"It's uninhabited and aside from an occasional individual or small group who want some peace no one really goes out there" Elaina answered "you want me to investigate it?"

"Oh I wouldn't bother" a female voice called out causing everyone to raise an eyebrow in shock "Arachne, Draconis do it" she commanded.

They felt a strong gust of wind as a strange creature flew up behind them and grabbed Rangiku "let me go you damn bird!!!" Rangiku shouted as it flew up into the air and held her out with one hand over a dozen stories in the sky. The creature was a humanoid hollow covered in grey fur with a pair of large batwings; its mask was completely white except for some red marks around the eyes.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore as he drew Hyourinmaru.

"_How the Hell did that thing get so close without me sensing it?!"_ Alexander thought as he drew his blades and summoned his marks _"and why wasn't I able to detect these guys with my Demonic eyes?!"_

Retsu was about to draw her sword but found that she couldn't move "what is this?"

"You've already been caught Captain" she said smugly "look at your right leg."

Retsu looked at her right leg to see a small silver thread sticking to her foot stretching out into the water.

"Hold on Rangiku" Toushirou ordered as he prepared to go after her.

"Hold it there brat, just so you know he has a real thing for dropping people from the sky and watching them splatter on impact" the woman's voice called out in amusement "and at that height the water will be like concrete."

"Show yourself NOW!!!" Alexander barked.

"Of course, I'm sorry if I tried your patience handsome" the voice echoed as the source of the thread attached to Retsu's leg rose up from the water with a woman sitting on its back. The source of the thread was a brown Spider shaped hollow the size of a pick up truck; it had a large human sized oval shaped gem on its back with the other end of the thread from Retsu's leg sticking out of the center.

But what surprised the shinigami even more was the woman who jumped off as they approached them on the beach and walked on her own two feet; she had the appearance of a woman in her early to mid twenties, her jet black was hanging freely all the way down to her waist. She was wearing a simple black robe with an emblem just below each shoulder; the emblem had a black heart in the middle of a silver circle and a silver cross in the center of the black heart. But what shocked them the most were her fangs, claws, the strange black marks covering her skin, and the blood red eyes with slits for irises.

"You're…" Alexander said in absolute shock.

"A Warlock" she said as her lips stretched into a smirk "allow me to introduce myself my name is Selene Void, I'm pleased to meet one of my own…what's your name?"

"Alexander Dark-Heart" Alexander answered as he focused his attention on the thread attached to Retsu's leg which Isane was trying to break but to no avail and the spider hollow's back before turning his gaze towards Selene.

"Dark-Heart huh? You mean you're a member of **the** Dark-Heart family?" Selene asked as if she could not believe here ears.

"That's correct" Alexander replied as he turned his gaze towards Toushirou. The boy nodded as Alexander took a couple of steps towards her "tell me were you responsible for this?"

"Lovely isn't it?" Selene stated "by the way the thread attached to that woman's leg can't be broken as long as Arachne is still alive…" Toushirou and the others looked at her in disgust "…nice try though."

"Why did you do this?" Alexander asked angrily.

"I needed to harvest some souls to complete Arachne here" Selene answered with a large grin as she turned to the spider "speaking of which…"

"Yes my lady" Arachne said as the thread suddenly began to pull Retsu towards its back.

"CAPTAIN!!!" Isane shouted as she and Elaina tried to hold her back.

"DAMN IT!!!" Elaina swore as their grips broke and Retsu was absorbed into the spider's back.

Isane was terrified she suddenly saw her Captain trapped within the gem on the spider's back which was now glowing bright green.

"How is she?" Selene asked.

"Amazing master" Arachne answered.

"What are you doing to her?!" Isane asked.

"That thing's absorbing her spirit energy" Alexander answered as he saw Retsu's spirit energy begin to flow into the beast.

"That's right" Selene said smugly "and once Arachne has absorbed all her energy, your Captain will die, so tell me Mr. Dark-Heart how would you like to join me in restoring our clan and punishing the shinigami for destroying us?"

Alexander was silent for several seconds before saying "you're not fit to restore the clan, you're not even close."

"Excuse me?" Selene asked in surprise.

"Just now you've confessed to breaking all three of our clan's sacred tenants" Alexander answered in disgust "first **never** traffic with Hollows, second **never **involve yourself in forbidden research, and most importantly of all we are absolutely forbidden to kill the innocent…" he took his stance "…the breaking of any of these tenants is punishable by death; now release my Lieutenant and Captain Unohana or I'll have no choice but to eliminate you!!!"

Selene started laughing hysterically "I don't know if you've noticed but we have you drastically out numbered so do what he says" Toushirou commanded sternly as he looked her square in the eyes.

"Did I ever say that it was just me, Arachne, and Draconis?" Selene asked dryly. Suddenly a large section of the beach began to bubble near the shore and several smaller spots further out to sea did the same "let me introduce you to my other works; Atlas…" the nearby pool erupted revealing a five story tall hollow with dark green flesh and brown fur, it's arms had the diameter of tree trunks and it's wrists appeared to have several canons attached around them "…some minor creations of mine…" suddenly several dozen wolf like hollows with razor sharp fangs and claws rose up from the ocean on some strange black platforms.

"Alex can you save Captain Unohana?" Toushirou asked and he nodded "Elaina and Youmei, I want you to deal with the big guy, Isane..." Isane appeared to be lost in space as she looked towards her captured Captain "…ISANE…" she snapped out of it "…I need you take command of the medics and provide support to our troops as they deal with mutts."

Isane noticed that Toushirou's men had gathered behind them before saying "I understand."

"What about you Captain?" Youmei asked.

"Isn't obvious, I'm going to save Rangiku" Toushirou said bluntly.

"Excuse me boys and girls but I still have one more little helper to introduce to you all…" Selene interrupted causing the shinigami to turn their attention to her as she said "…kill them, Ion."

"Damn it" Alexander swore as suddenly Retsu's infirmary exploded revealing Ion standing alone covered in black marks _"the kid's a Warlock to but why is he?"_ Alexander gasped as he noticed one of the boys arms swell up to about three times its normal size and his right palm glowed bright red before firing a Cero like blast towards them. Alexander quickly leapt in front of his troops and chanted "Bakudou 81: Danku" creating a transparent shield which blocked the blast "you've even experimented on a little kid?!"

"We do what we have to Master Dark-Heart" Selene replied smugly as she sensed some concern in his expression "don't worry I promise I won't attack any of you so long as you face Ion and then Arachne on your own, to sweeten the deal I'll let you take them on one at a time."

"Damn you" Toushirou hissed before Alexander stopped him.

"She's telling the truth sir" Alexander stated "I'll be fine so please save Lieutenant Matsumoto and let me deal with the kid, the spider, and saving Captain Unohana."

"Be careful, if I don't make it back soon you're in charge Dark-Heart" Toushirou ordered as leapt forward and said "Bankai: Daigurren Hyourinmaru!!!" and flew towards Rangiku and Draconis, as expected he dropped her towards.

Thankfully Toushirou managed to catch her with his free hand and stopped her from falling, unfortunately due to the fact that she was taller than him it made trying maneuver while flying a royal nightmare.

"Captain, you've got to fly smoother" Rangiku cried out as she tried to avoid throwing up.

"Damn it I'm doing the best I can!!!" Toushirou hissed as he blocked Draconis' claws with his blade.

"So there's a shinigami that can fly" Draconis said happily "but you better lose the broad, or else…" he focused some energy into his claws and sent the young Captain soaring backwards several yards "…you'll die."

"_Damn it"_ Toushirou thought as he looked to the island below him and said "I'm sorry Rangiku, but he's right…"

"What are you?" Rangiku asked in shock as he let go and she began to fall towards the island below.

"Bakudou 37: Tsuriboshi" Toushirou chanted creating a slimy green trampoline which stopped Rangiku from crashing to the ground.

"Did he really need to just drop me?" Rangiku asked in annoyance "I'll get him for this. He scared the Hell out of me" she looked up to see her Captain locking blades with the hollow's claws _"please be careful Captain…"_

"_Good so Lieutenant Matsumoto is safe"_ Alexander thought as he shielded himself from another blast by Ion using Nehan's special barrier, he gripped the released Kokuhyou tightly before saying "Ion you have to stop this" Ion suddenly teleported right behind him and tried to slam his fists on top of him. Alexander teleported a few yards away and said "please."

"I can't mister" Ion whined "I can't go against my master, she'll do terrible things to me if I don't obey."

"Damn it" Alexander swore as he disappeared with a shunpo and cut into Ion's right shoulder with Kokuhyou causing him to fall to the ground and shriek with pain as he began kicking around and his limbs started changing sizes and firing blasts at random.

"How odd" Selene stated calmly "a cut that small shouldn't have caused this."

"Anyone cut by my Zanpakutou is immediately attacked by all the evil within their own soul no matter how shallow the cut thus causing them to fall to the ground in excruciating pain" Alexander answered.

"My, you sure are cruel" Selene joked.

"The symbol of my squad is the Daffodil" Alexander stated causing Selene to raise an eyebrow "it can represent two things; the first is Egoism, but our Captain didn't care for that so he decided that he preferred it be interpreted under its second meaning…mysteriousness. Out of all the Zanpakutou I've seen I feel that mine most represents that interpretation. This weapon is dark, strange, full of unusual truths and revelations…much like the world and the Darkness which our clan draws its power from…however it's within that mysterious Darkness that lies the truth and more often than not the power to achieve our desired ends. Right now I desire to stop Ion here without killing him now that's he's weakened I can achieve that goal…take him Kokuhyou."

"Oh that's fascinating" Selene said playfully as she watched Kokuhyou burst into several spheres of black energy before being absorbed into Ion's flesh turning it black.

"Kokuhyou get him to safety" Alexander commanded.

"Ah, and here I was hoping to take this kid for a spin" Kokuhyou's sadistic voice rang out from Ion's mouth.

"Just get him out of here damn it!!!" Alexander swore as Ion left the seen.

"Possession huh?" Selene asked seemingly impressed "and here I thought that you were going to kill him" she added earning her a dark look from Alexander. She focused her eyes on her fellow warlock and noticed something strange about his soul _"that left arm of his…how interesting"_ she thought before asking "why don't you use your Devil's arm?"

"I don't care for my Devil's arm it reminds me too much of when I was alive" Alexander answered as she pulled out her own, it was a black staff with over a dozen dark purple crystals sticking out of the side and a particularly large one poked out of the end.

"Arachne" Selene stated dryly and Alexander felt a very strong spiritual pressure moments before the large spider dropped from the sky towards him.

"Protect Nehan" Alexander chanted creating a shield which blocked Arachne for a few moments before shattering and throwing Alexander back over a dozen feet _"damn this thing is powerful!!!"_ he swore in his mind as the impact with the ground kicked up enough dust to cover him entirely.

"My lady the power I've absorbed from this shinigami is simply amazing" Arachne declared with glee "and this is only a small chunk of what she has to offer."

"Meimeikanshiki" Alexander finished his chant sending a small blast of light shooting out from the dust which covered him striking the hollow on its left 'cheek' before shooting off into the air. Alexander leapt towards Arachne and blocked an attempt to bite down on him with his blade, instead of countering Alexander leapt right above Arachne _"please be just fine…" _he thought in desperation as he looked at the captured Captain _"…damn it!!!"_ he swore in his mind as he saw a cut on Retsu's left cheek.

"Sorry Mr. Dark-Heart but you can't kill Arachne without killing the Captain" Selene chuckled _"so what are you going to do now? It's time to see if your worthy of your family name."_

"Third Seat Dark-Heart listen closely" Retsu's voice called out "you mustn't hold back, if this keeps up the hollow will be too strong for you to handle" Alexander's eyes glared towards the monster at her words "there's no choice…you have to kill me and this creature."

"What the Hell?" Alexander spat out.

"She's right you know?" Selene added "If Arachne absorbs any more of her power you'll be out of your league."

Alexander closed his eyes for a couple seconds before saying "Selene, Captain Unohana…shut the Hell up" Retsu opened her eyes in shock and Selene smirked "I told my Captain that I'd squash this bug and save you, and if I have to perform a damn miracle to make it happen then FINE BY ME…"

"_Is he insane?" _Retsu thought before she suddenly felt an immensely powerful spiritual pressure which put her back into a state of shock.

"Very nice" Selene said with a smile _"He is worthy of his family name."_

"…but you were right when you said 'you mustn't hold back' so I better stop" Alexander stated "Congratulations on making me go all out you sorry excuse for an insect" suddenly his spiritual pressure intensified yet again "let's go Nehan."

"_This spiritual pressure…"_ Retsu thought in shock as Alexander dashed towards Arachne and dodged two of its legs and jumped into the air above her before several black masses of energy dropped down and pinned the hollow's legs to the ground and she could feel the pressure on her limbs _"…this isn't the spiritual pressure of a Third Seat or a Lieutenant…"_ the Warlock/Shinigami landed on top of the gem she was trapped in. His right arm was engulfed in black energy as he lunged it towards the gem, his handed was stopped in its tracks for several seconds before it went through and grabbed Retsu's left arm.

"And here we go" Alexander said in amusement before he stated laughing hysterically. Moments later Retsu's left arm began to emerge, soon the rest of her body emerged "you alright?"

"…_this is the spiritual pressure of a Captain…"_ she thought in shock before she tried to move but couldn't "I can't move my limbs" she said weakly.

"How dare you!!!" Arachne hissed as the black masses of energy began to fade.

"Okay time to go" Alexander said plainly as he flipped Nehan so he was holding it upside down and picked Retsu up bridal style just before the two disappeared in a sudden wave of black energy.

When the energy cleared the two appeared in front of Isane who was organizing the medics as they treated some injured soldiers from squad ten "Dark-Heart, where did you come from?!" Isane asked in shock as if she had just narrowly avoided a heart attack.

"Well first a man and a woman have to get together; at this point a romantic would argue that they always say 'I love you' to each other, but that's not really necessary…" Alexander began.

"No that's not what I meant" Isane half shouted while trying to fight back a blush "last time I checked you were fighting against that boy and the spider!!!"

"Oh that's bit of a long story" Alexander stated "to put it simply I saved your Captain, but she can't move…"

"Captain Unohana" Isane said in concern as he lay her on the ground.

"…which is why I'm ordering you and whatever medics you have available to get her moving as soon as possible" Isane looked at him with an eyebrow raised "remind me to thank my Captain for putting me in charge this makes things **so **much easier…" suddenly they saw Arachne rushing towards them about one hundred yards away "…protect and nurture Nehan" a pool of light surrounded Retsu and a barrier formed between the medics and Alexander who began chanting.

"You'll pay for that!!!" Arachne shouted before she tried to chomp down on Alexander but was stopped by his left hand.

Alexander extended his right index and middle fingers and pointed them towards Arachne at an angle before pushing the spider back and chanting "Hadou 90: Kurohitsugi" Isane, her medics, and Retsu watched in amazement as the hollow was quickly trapped within a coffin made of black energy before quickly disappearing leaving no trace of Arachne "nice…now if only I could get more than a quarter of the power out of the unspoken version."

"He…just used a level nineties spell…" Isane said weakly before snapping back to reality as she heard a loud applause.

"Very nice" Selene stated in clear amusement "Warlock Arts: Dark Crucifixion, followed by a Bind Severing, and then a well placed teleportation, you truly are a gifted member of our clan" she licked her lips in anticipation "I'm so excited I don't even care about losing Arachne and I couldn't care less about what might happen to Ion…You really are a Dark-Heart through and through."

"Tell me something before we take this any further" Alexander said sternly "I understand that you've been experimenting on hollows which resulted in the big guy on the beach, that man bat creature my Captain's fighting in the skies, and that Spider I just killed…" Selene nodded "…but what I want to know is where'd you get that boy Ion? We Warlocks are nearing extinction so he couldn't have been easy to find, you must have gotten him from somewhere, tell me where!!!"

Selene's eyes threatened to pop out as she started laughing hysterically and acted as if her ribs were about to crack open "don't be a fool. I didn't **find** that boy anywhere. Have you really not considered the **possibility**?" Alexander's face contorted with rage signaling that he understood "that's right Alexander Dark-Heart, his name is Ion…Ion Void…" her smile widened "…my son."

Her answer made everyone who could move look at her with a mixture of shock and deep loathing.

"You experimented on your own son?!" Alexander hissed venomously.

"Indeed, he was my first genii-pig; ever since he was two I've been performing experiments on him to see what effects my powers can have on a human soul" Selene began "which is why his body and his powers are so unstable. You see in those early years I didn't know half of what I know now about rewriting souls to make them stronger, as a result even I don't know how long he can be expected to live…for all I know he may be expiring as we speak."

"YOU BITCH!!!" Alexander shouted as he swung his right hand over his left shoulder and dashed towards Selene just before a long rod shaped shadow formed in his right hand. Selene held her staff vertically in front of her just in time to prevent the bladed edge of scythe from cutting her head clean off.

Author's notes: and that's chapter 12 sorry if I kept you all waiting but it was a lot to type up. The good news is that chapter thirteen should be shorter meaning that I should be able to upload it sooner, I'm thinking about actually working the lyrics of a song into my next update, not certain if I'm going to do it or not…guess we'll all just have to wait and see. Anyway please leave me a review and stay tuned for my next update.

**Satellite Cities**

This term refers to any settlements outside of Rukongai; some agree to pay taxes to the Seireitei in exchange for shinigami peace keepers. Satellite Cities are most commonly established for at least one of three reasons; reason one is to escape the extreme poverty of many of Rukongai's districts, the second reason is that many of their citizens lived in Western Countries and simply couldn't handle the culture shock that Rukongai presented them with, and the last reason is that in some cases people die in the world of the living and bring an extreme sense of Nationalism to the Soul Society which they wish to maintain even in death.


	13. Deliver us from Evil

Author's notes: Damn it's been so long since I've been able to update a story in less than a week. I decided NOT to work in the lyrics of a song into this chapter but I do recommend listening to the song Deliver us from Evil by Bullet for my Valentine as you read this chapter.

I do not own Bleach or Devil May Cry

Please enjoy and leave a review

**Ch. 13 Deliver us from Evil**

Toushirou and Draconis flew towards each other at top speed. Moments after they clashed Draconis' left arm froze over before shattering.

"_Good that should give me the ed…" _Toushirou began to think before he saw Draconis' shoulder glow bright green and his left arm regenerated _"Damn it, high speed regeneration."_

"Very impressive, just what I would expect from a Captain" Draconis said dryly as he raised his left hand "but you're not strong enough to beat me" his hand began to glow dark red.

"_Cero…"_ Toushirou thought as the blast was fired.

"No way that was enough" Draconis whispered, suddenly Toushirou was behind him and swung his sword vertically. Draconis grabbed the blade with his left hand and noticed that one of Toushirou's ice petals was disappearing "I see so that's what those are…"

"What are you talking about?" Toushirou asked.

"I was curious as to why you have those ice flowers floating behind you" Draconis replied "but now I understand…they're a count down…" Toushirou's glare broke for a second "…I'm impressed, your Bankai clearly isn't fully developed yet…and it still has this much power behind it…" Toushirou leapt back as Draconis' right hand jabbed towards him giving him a shallow cut on his left shoulder "…if it's any consolation…I'm certain that if your Bankai was complete you'd be able to win."

"_Captain…"_ Rangiku thought in concern as she watched Toushirou continue his dog fight with Draconis _"…please be careful…"_ suddenly she felt a very dark and angry spiritual pressure coming from the city _"…Dark-Heart!!!"_

*Back in the city*

"You're simply unforgivable!!!" Alexander hissed as he pulled on his scythe with his right hand forcing Selene to brace against it with her legs "now die already" he ordered as he focused energy into the claws on his left hand before waving them towards her.

"That's the spirit…" Selene said moments before teleporting away five streaks of black energy streaked through the very spot she had been occupying "…so your Devil's arm is a scythe? I don't know why but…" she watched as Alexander swung it over his shoulder; the handle was the length of his body and black as obsidian, the blade was silver with a blood red edge and three demonic eyes etched on both sides "…it suits you."

"Shut up" Alexander spat as he pointed his left palm at Selene and it began to glow black "Warlock Art: Screech of the Damned!!!" the air was immediately filled with a loud screech as a cyclone of black spirit energy shot out from his palm.

Selene teleported a few yards away to avoid the attack her eyes opened in shock when she saw what appeared to be a black oval shaped rift the size of a house appear in front of her she immediately chanted "Warlock Art: Demonic Protection" a black shield the size of her body appeared in front of her as a familiar whirlwind of black energy rushed through, the shield she summoned lasted for about five seconds before shattering, thankfully she only had to endure the attack for a couple seconds before the rift disappeared.

"Damn it" Alexander swore as he swung his scythe over his right shoulder and gripped it with both hands _"it's been over one hundred years since I've used this damn thing…I guess it's no surprise I've gotten rusty."_

Selene stood back up and smirked widely before saying "so that's the special ability of your Devil's arm…" her robe was torn and she had a number of small cuts "…it's able to open rifts in space, allowing you to attack your enemy from any angle, a fine ability for a Dark-Heart."

"Stop talking about my family" Alexander said sternly before teleporting just above Selene and swinging his scythe vertically, Selene blocked the blade with her staff.

"You're asking a Warlock not to talk about your family; surely you know just how important your family is to our history…" Selene performed a left roundhouse sending five streaks of black energy towards Alexander "…surely you know the story."

"How could I not?" Alexander asked.

"What are they talking about?" Isane asked from behind Nehan's shield as she tried to restore Retsu's mobility.

"Just some old clan history" a cynical woman's voice stated calmly causing Isane to turn and see Ion standing right behind her, he was back to normal except his eyes were solid black.

"You're Kokuhyou right?" Retsu asked "why don't you help him?"

"Because Alex is an overly sympathetic dumb ass" Kokuhyou told her simply "this kid's far from stable so he doesn't want me getting him involved."

"But she might kill him!!!" Isane blurted.

Suddenly Ion's right arm bulked up to three times its original size and the marks of the Warlock spread across his body "if it gets to that point, then I'll just have to ignore his orders and roast that bitch. Because **I am not** dying here…" Ion turned to the white sword nearby "…even if it means teaming up with that annoying Angel."

"You really should have your Zanpakutou help you out" Selene suggested "having Ion's powers on your side would be a real advantage" she swung her staff horizontally.

"You disgust me" Alexander hissed as he blocked it with his scythe's handle; however the force threw him back several yards and he crashed into a merchant's stand burying him in lumber.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to use **every **tool available?" Selene asked "that is how we Warlocks fight after all."

"Damn you…" Alexander's voice called out from beneath the boards before he lunged towards Selene and swung his scythe horizontally, Selene blocked it by holding her staff vertically, her eyes opened widely when their weapons collided "…children are NOT tools to be used!!!" tears were threatening to burst out; Selene looked at the top of Alexander's scythe to see half of the blade sticking through a small portal, she then looked a few inches to her side to see another portal floating in mid air with the other half of the blade sticking out buried shallowly in her side and blood began to pour out.

Ion was struggling to free himself from Kokuhyou's control "MASTER SELENE!!!" he shouted with tears in his eyes as he tried to move but couldn't.

"I really wouldn't try that kiddo" Kokuhyou said plainly "you should just be a good boy and stay put like Alex wants you to…Who knows when this is over we may be able to return your body back to normal?"

"But my master's hurt" Ion begged "please let me go."

"Kid she experimented on you…she turned your body into a walking time bomb" Kokuhyou replied "just let him kill her."

Selene began to laugh hysterically "you do realize what'll happen if you kill me?" Alexander pulled his scythe blade out of the rift, blood still dripping from the blade "If I die Atlas and Draconis will go berserk; there's no way you can handle them after using so much spirit energy on Ion, Arachne, and myself…they'll tear you all limb from limb" she smiled menacingly.

"You act as if I'll be the one who fights them" Alexander said smugly.

"You fool" Selene chuckled "Atlas will crush those two women you have fighting him…as for Draconis, he's stronger than that brat you call a Captain!!!"

Alexander could only smile widely.

*Back with Toushirou*

"Captain!!!" Rangiku said in panic as Toushirou crashed into the coast of island in front of her.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore as his wings regenerated and he took his stance, his kimono top was shredded and his chest was covered in cuts and bruises _"this is bad"_ he thought as Draconis flew down about a dozen of feet above them _"at this rate…"_

Rangiku did the only thing she could think of at the moment and drew her sword before sternly saying "Roar Haineko!!!"

"Rangiku!!!" Toushirou said in shock as a cloud of ash surrounded Draconis and blood shot out from several cuts across his body.

"Not bad for a Lieutenant" Draconis said as his wounds healed, Rangiku's eyes shot open as he lunged towards her, before she knew it he had his right hand wrapped around her neck, he crashed her through several trees before holding her up into the air and started chocking her "know that you are dying with my respect."

"Bastard" Toushirou hissed as he placed his left hand over his bare chest _"there's no choice but to use __**that **__power…"_ suddenly a black heart shape with a cross in the middle appeared in the center of a circle over his heart.

_Flash Back_

"Please listen closely fourth seat Hitsugaya, this seal was once used by my clan to hide their spiritual pressures in order to avoid being detected by the Soul Society" Alexander began to explain as they emerged from their hiding spot for about a week "this will keep our recent **metamorphosis** secret from the Central Forty Six, however you and I won't be able to use the powers we've gained unless we break it…it's important that you avoid breaking the seal in crowded areas and if you do break it, you'll have to wait an hour before you can restore it."

"I understand" Toushirou replied "I'll only use it in extreme emergencies and if anyone sees me I'll do whatever's necessary to keep them quite."

Alexander sighed before saying "I'm not all that religious, but I'll pray that you never find yourself in such a position."

_End Flash Back_

Rangiku's vision started going black before she and Draconis suddenly felt a familiar spiritual pressure violently increase in strength as they heard Toushirou chant "Seal of the Beast…release."

Before he could react Draconis' right arm was severed from his body, he could only watch as the child Captain caught his Lieutenant and quickly flew to the other end of the island "well this is a surprise."

"Rangiku are you alright?!" Toushirou asked in a panicked tone.

"Ca…Captain?!" Rangiku breathed out as her vision cleared her eyes shot open in sheer shock.

Toushirou turned his gaze after seeing Rangiku's response before saying "I'm glad you're okay" as he lay her on the ground before taking his stance between her and Draconis "I know there may be no point in saying this when I'm like this…but don't worry, I'll take of this."

"_Is this really my Captain?!"_ Rangiku thought as she slowly picked herself up _"he's so different now"_

Rangiku shielded herself with her arm as Toushirou lunged towards Draconis so fast he kicked up a miniature sand storm in front of her. Toushirou swung his blade horizontally and Draconis grabbed the blade with both hands; though he succeeded in stopping the blade from cutting him in half, the sheer force behind it forced him into the air several stories above the island.

"Incredible…" Draconis said in what almost sounded like an amused tone "…what are you Captain?! I never imagined there would be a shinigami with such a powerful spiritual pressure…" Toushirou swung his blade again sending Draconis flying back over thirty yards "…and even more fascinating is how different it is. When we started fighting your spiritual pressure was nowhere near this dark and twisted, why it's almost like…"

"Cut the chit chat!!!" Toushirou hissed "I don't care about your fascinations!!!"

"Very well, let's see what you're made of" Draconis replied as he extended both his arms and Toushirou began to fly straight for him before a dark green sphere of energy began to form in Draconis' hands.

Draconis launched a large green Cero at the approaching Captain, Toushirou made no attempts to dodge or shield himself against the blast. Draconis lowered his arms in a combination of confusion and disappointment as Toushirou was engulfed in the blast, moments later the blast dissipated almost instantaneously. Before Draconis could react the blade of a katana pierced his chest and there was a young man holding the grip with one hand, there was a single petal floating behind his back.

"It's over" Toushirou said calmly as ice began to spread from the wound in Draconis' chest.

"Well done" Draconis said with clear amusement before the ice engulfed his body and he shattered into countless little pieces.

Seconds later the last petal disintegrated and Toushirou blacked out before plummeting towards the ground.

"CAPTAIN!!!" Rangiku shouted in fear before she extended her right index and middle fingers and chanted "Bakudou 37: Tsuriboshi" a large green elastic trampoline caught him, moments later Rangiku appeared next to him _"Thank goodness…"_ she thought before remembering what she had seen no more than fifteen minutes ago _"…Captain what the Hell was that?!"_

*Back with Selene and Alexander*

"Draconis!" Selene gasped.

"Just what I would expect of my former student" Alexander said proudly _"Captain did you really have to break the seal?!"_ seconds later a huge gush of water shot into the air as a huge hollow crashed into the beach front "and that's just what I would expect from Youmei and my daughter" he raised his scythe "that just leaves dealing with you"

"NO" Ion shouted from inside his mind as his body started glowing black.

"Stop doing that kid!!!" Kokuhyou ordered.

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Ion watched Alexander's scythe begin to fall on his mother, suddenly he felt control of his body return to him.

"What's happening?" Isane asked as the boy's skin began to turn back to normal.

"Nehan spread your barrier into a dome quickly!!!" Kokuhyou spat out, her voice seemed to be turning more masculine and child like "I don't think I can hold him any longer!!!"

Sure enough, as soon as Kokuhyou finished her statement several black orbs shot out from Ion's flesh and gathered together forming a familiar long sword before falling to the ground. Ion immediately engulfed himself in black energy as his body expanded to three times its normal size and he teleported himself. Selene's eyes shot open in surprise as Ion appeared between her and Alexander, less than a second later the blade of Alexander's scythe popped out from his chest.

"Ma…Master Selene" Ion said weakly before coughing up blood and blacking out.

"No Ion!!!" Alexander spat.

"Well done Ion" Selene said smugly as she reached into her robe and pulled out five black crystals "Warlock Art: Quintet of Unholy spears."

"Damn it" Alexander swore as five small violet circles glowed on Ion's back before the crystals shot out, Alexander quickly placed the blade of his scythe over his heart and covered his neck with his left arm.

Two of the crystals crashed into his scythe's blade; the other three struck him three inches below both his shoulders and right below his left pectoral, the three crystals blew straight through his body and threw him back over twenty feet as blood shot out from the three holes. Immediately after he landed he felt a hand grab him by the pony tail before jerking his head up putting him face to face with Selene.

"Now the shoe's on the other foot" Selene said in delight "I'm going to enjoy this" Alexander was silent "but first I think I'll take a look so I'll know how to make this as painful as possible."

Alexander's eyes shot open before he hissed "don't you dare!!!"

Selene's eyes began to glow dark red before she chanted "Konsa-chi" both Warlocks seemed to black out for several minutes before they both began panting heavily, Selene smirked widely before saying "Well I wasn't expecting that…but it does explain why your lack of pride in your family name, your apathy towards our clan, and that left arm of yours."

"Damn you" Alexander swore "you'll pay dearly for that!"

"I don't think so" Selene said as she dropped him and picked up her staff "you showed me your scythe's ability to create rifts and attack an opponent from any angle, so it's only fair that I show you what my staff's special power" the crystal at the top began to glow with a dark purple light "my Devil's arm allows me to change my appearance to that of **anyone** I've laid eyes on at least once" Alexander's eyes popped open "and I know just the woman."

Alexander watched in silent horror as Selene was surrounded in by a black cyclone of spirit energy, his jaw dropped in shock when it disappeared revealing a woman dressed in a shinigami uniform with a face he found frightfully familiar.

"Es…" Alexander began weakly but was cut off as Selene's right hand grabbed his face and slammed him into the ground repeatedly.

She immediately threw him into the air; seconds later she warped right above him before slamming her staff on his chest and sent him crashing into the ground so hard he created a crater approximately twelve feet in diameter and about six feet deep, she stood over him as soon as she landed and grabbed his neck with her right hand "any last words?" she asked her voice had changed to a much softer and more gentle tone.

The dust from the impact cleared revealing Alexander lying on the ground; his kimono top was shredded, the three holes from Selene's crystals were bleeding heavily and several deep cuts were spread across his chest, and a large gash on his forehead was bleeding down his nose. To make it worse his eyes had turned green, his fangs and claws were gone, and his hair had turned blonde.

Selene's eyes popped open as Alexander's left hand lunged towards her and his fingers wrapped around her neck "y…yo…you bitch!!!" he struggled to say "how DARE you defile her memory by taking that form!!!"

"How pathetic" Selene said dryly as she tightened her grip.

Suddenly both Alexander and Selene's eyes opened in shock as they felt an unbelievably strong spiritual pressure, even more astonishing than its power was how incredibly violent and blood thirsty it was; seconds later Selene felt a hand grip her left shoulder. Selene turned to see Retsu standing behind her with cold and disturbing glare in her eyes, she swung her left arm towards Retsu but she grabbed her wrist with her right hand. Moments later Selene's entire body was engulfed in green surge of spirit energy, she instantly fell to the ground.

Seconds later Isane appeared and helped him stand up by draping his right arm across her shoulders "what the Hell was that?" he asked _"damn that was scary!!!"_

"I sent a surge of energy through her nervous center and destroyed her organs, there's no hope that she'll survive" Retsu answered causing Alexander to look at her in legitimate fear "and in case your wondering I taught your daughter this technique."

"That's scary stuff" Alexander sighed, suddenly he felt someone wrap their arms around his neck.

"For what its worth I fell in love with you" Selene said softly still holding her disguised.

"Impossible" Retsu stated before she saw Alexander's left hand grab her Zanpakutou's handle.

"I'm sorry Captain, but I need to borrow this" Alexander said weakly before he quickly drew her sword and ran it through the woman holding onto him in one motion "what would you know about love?!" he asked before he fainted out with tears in his eyes.

"We need to treat him now!" Retsu said urgently as she grabbed her sword.

"Right" was all Isane could say _"this is just too much for me."_

"_You're right Minazuki, he's not just injured physically" _Retsu thought solemnly.

*With Toushirou and Rangiku*

Toushirou woke up to see Rangiku sitting a couple feet away apparently sleeping _"damn, I hate it when my Bankai's time limit runs out"_ suddenly he remembered his fight _"oh no, I released the seal"_ he turned his attention towards his Lieutenant _"and to make things worse Rangiku saw me…this is bad if she tells the Soul Society I'm dead!!!"_

"Captain, are you alright?" Rangiku asked.

"Yeah" he answered.

"Thank goodness" Rangiku sighed heavily.

"How long was I out?" Toushirou asked as he checked himself over to see that he only had minor injuries.

"About forty or fifty minutes" Rangiku answered.

"_So I can't restore the seal for another ten, twenty minutes"_ Toushirou thought.

"Captain what happened to you in that fight, you were so…**different**" Rangiku asked nervously.

"It's a long story" Toushirou replied.

"That's fine" Rangiku assured him "there's no activity coming from the town and I can still feel our soldiers' spiritual pressures."

Toushirou was silent for a few moments before saying "what I'm about to tell you stays between us" Rangiku nodded in understanding.

*Fifteen minutes later*

"So you've been hiding this for over thirty years?" Rangiku asked and Toushirou nodded "and Alex has it to?"

"There are some minor differences…but it's essentially the same thing" Toushirou answered.

"Why didn't you ever tell me or anyone?" Rangiku asked in shock "about these powers, and not to mention those weirdoes who found the two of you..."

At that moment Toushirou Hitsugaya started laughing cynically "and what do think would've happened if I told people about it? I'll tell you the Central Forty Six would've rounded me and Alex up and had us publicly executed, Hell there would probably have been a new holiday dedicated to our deaths…" he was cut off by a slap across the face from Rangiku.

"How could you possibly believe that?" Rangiku cried as tears poured from her eyes "don't you realize you have an entire squad that's completely loyal to you and would start a war if the Central Forty Six tried to even touch you; almost every single member of our squad chose to join because **you're** the Captain."

Toushirou sighed before saying "I'm sorry Rangiku, it's just that I've been hiding this for so long, I haven't even told Momo...sometimes I wish I could just forget about even having this power in the first place" Rangiku slapped him again "what was that for?!"

"For not trusting me" Rangiku replied plainly "listen you may not have wanted this power but the fact is that you **do **have it, so we'll just have to make the best of it" she stood up and stretched out her arms and legs "now tell me is there anything else you've been keeping secret from me?"

Toushirou thought back to the day the Central Forty Six ordered him to kill Kusaka before saying "I'm sorry Rangiku; it's too painful for me to talk about."

"I understand" Rangiku said softly before cracking a smile "but when you feel like you can talk about, just know that I'll be there for you" she then leaned down to him, their faces were only a couple inches apart.

"What are you doing?" Toushirou asked with a slight blush.

Rangiku kissed Toushirou on the lips causing his eyes to pop open in sheer shock, a few moments later she broke the kiss and said cheerfully "that's for saving my life during the Ikari incident twenty five years ago and for two hours ago" she turned around and pretended to stretch again, she couldn't help but smirk widely when she saw her Captain crack a small smile out of the cornor of her eye.

*Thirty minutes later*

"How is everything Isane?" Retsu asked calmly as she tended to Alexander's wounds.

"Most of Captain Hitsugaya's soldiers have minor injuries, thankfully we should be able to treat them on scene" Isane began "unfortunately they took several casualties, over a dozen of them have serious injuries, and then there's the case of third seat Dark-Heart."

"I see" Retsu replied as she looked at her patient; he was breathing heavily, his hair was still blonde, his bleeding had slowed but it hadn't stopped, and he was still unconscious "did you get all that Captain Hitsugaya?"

"Yeah I heard" Toushirou replied causing Isane to look up as he and Rangiku came in for a landing "sorry about that I had to let my Bankai recover so we could get off that Island."

Retsu nodded silently at his comment before Rangiku asked "will they be okay?"

"Elaina and a few other members of your squad are helping us treat them but I'm afraid I'm going to have to take your third seat and several of your soldiers back to my Hospital" Retsu explained.

"_Good no one seems to have noticed me"_ Toushirou thought before looking to his injured third seat "he's in no condition to teleport you, how do you plan to…" he then noticed Retsu standing next to a large light green manta ray like creature _"she works fast."_

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave this town in your hands" Retsu said calmly.

"I understand" Toushirou replied before turning to his troops "I want anyone who isn't giving or receiving medical attention to help Captain Unohana…" he watched as several shinigami were literally swallowed by Minazuki "…uh, load up the patients?!" the troops shrugged and raised their eyebrows before doing as they were told.

*Fifteen minutes later*

Alexander's eyes opened slowly as his vision cleared up, he noticed that there was a strong gust blowing through his hair.

"So you're awake" Retsu stated calmly.

"Captain Unohana" Alexander said weakly, he tried to stand up but his body felt like lead.

"Easy, I've treated your wounds but you're still seriously hurt" Retsu said calmly "I really should have had Minazuki swallow you…"

"You want to talk to me about something, don't you?" Alexander stated more than he asked and Retsu nodded "what can I do for you Captain?"

"I just wanted to ask you a couple questions" Retsu replied "first of all who was that woman the other Warlock turned into? And she seemed to recognize your last name, is your family famous within your clan?"

"If you want to know the answer to your first question you'll have to look at the crystal I gave you" Alexander sighed "as for your other question that'll require me to tell you a little story for you to understand."

"It's a long flight back to the Seireitei" Retsu said plainly.

"Very well, first we need to go back to the founding of my clan, back to early thirteenth century Europe, tell me something Captain do you know what was going on back then?" Alexander began.

"The medieval Crusades if I believe" Retsu answered and Alexander nodded.

"Back then the vast majority of people in Europe could be separated into two groups. You had the masses of people who were intolerant, ignorant, superstitious, and most of all frightened. As a result these people turned to the second group; the self proclaimed representatives of their God in the Vatican" Alexander explained and Retsu listened intently "this second groups was comprised of some of the worst kind of people imaginable; they may have claimed to be men of God but in reality they were simply power hungry tyrants who thought nothing of sacrificing countless lives in order to expand their territory."

"A very tragic time" Retsu said solemnly.

"Indeed" Alexander sighed before continuing "during this time there lived a fourteen year old girl from a futile noble family; one day she had an audience with the Pope and several cardinals after she lost her six brothers, her father, and her fiancé to the fighting leaving her as the only heir to a vast family fortune" Alexander turned to Retsu before saying "she was planning to donate her entire fortune to the war effort and to enroll in an abbey…or at least that's what she **was** planning to do."

"What happened?" Retsu asked in curiosity.

"She overheard the Pope and several Cardinals jokingly brag about how much wealth they were planning to reel in after they conquered Jerusalem and a few other cities" Alexander answered causing Retsu's eyes to open slightly "as you can imagine she didn't exactly take that too well. After hearing that she fled the Vatican as quickly as she could and went off into isolation for a few days to process everything she had just heard and what it ultimately meant. As she came to grip with the reality of what the Crusades were for she found herself being nearly consumed by her anger, her hatred, and above all else her thirst for vengeance; ironically these thoughts which nearly destroyed her actually awakened her dormant spiritual powers and even her spiritual affinity. At that moment she became the first Warlock; years later she would often go on to attack dozens of Vatican officials and to help other people who carried the Darkness Affinity awaken their sleeping powers…And that was the birth of the Warlock clan…"

"What happened after that?" Retsu inquired.

"I'm afraid even my clan's records weren't perfect but I like to think that it's not just a coincidence that Crusades ended not too long after my clan appeared on the scene" Alexander smiled despite the fact that he couldn't even move.

"So was this woman an ancestor of yours?" Retsu asked.

"Yes" Alexander answered "after she awakened her powers she changed her name to Morgan Dark-Heart…my clan took two actions in order to honor her memory."

"What were those?" Retsu asked.

"First of all was the symbol for our clan a Black Heart to represent her new found identity and a silver cross to represent her own personal faith in God and humanity" Alexander began "and secondly any descendants of hers would always carry her family name."

"What do you mean by that?" Retsu asked in confusion.

"Well let me give you an example; when my parents married my father was the one who changed his last name to Dark-Heart, not my mother" Alexander replied "is that all you wanted to ask me?" Retsu nodded "then if you don't mind…I'm going to lose consciousness again."

"_You're a fascinating man Third Seat Dark-Heart" _Retsu thought as she pulled out the crystal Alexander had given her _"let's see just how fascinating you really are"_ the crystal began to grow brightly, moments later she heard a familiar voice.

"If you're viewing the memories on this crystal I've either decided that you were trust worthy enough for me to share the secrets of my past with you…"

"_Third Seat Dark-Heart?" _Retsu thought curiously.

"…or you pried it from my cold dead body…"

"_Those marks really seem to twist his personality" _Retsu thought dryly.

"…in either case I must warn you" Alexander's voice echoed and Retsu rose an eyebrow "if you choose to watch the following scenes from my past, you'll see Hell."

Next thing she knew Retsu found herself standing in a large circular room, towards one end there was a throne where a man with waist length jet black hair and dark blue eyes was sitting with a large smile on his face dressed in the same robes as Selene had been wearing, dozens of people wearing the same robes were standing a couple of feet from the wall, and kneeling right before the throne was a young boy who appeared to be about thirteen years old was kneeling on one knee. He had short spiky jet black hair, dark green eyes, and he was smiling eagerly as he held a scythe Retsu recognized as he smiled happily. None of them seemed to notice the shinigami Captain's presence as most of them muttered in excitement.

"Congratulations on obtaining your Devil's arm at such a young age Alexander Dark-Heart" the man sitting in the throne said softly.

"Thank you" the young Alexander replied "my only wish is to serve you and our clan."

The man left the throne before walking up to the younger Warlock and placing his hands on his shoulders and smiling "your ancestors are very proud of you, I do have a mission that could have use your help…are you interested?" he said warmly.

"Of course" Alexander said as he looked the older man in the eyes before saying "Master Maximillion."

Author's Notes: and that's lucky number 13. Next chapter we start to look into Alexander Dark-Heart's past (the whole story will probably take two or three chapters); over the next couple of chapters I'll reveal what happened to his clan during his life, how he came into possession of two unique Zanpakutou, and a couple of other surprises that I'm not going to tell you about just yet. And just in case you were wondering that strange power surge Toushirou had was that power he had gained when Kaname stabbed him and Alexander in the back in chapter six that they had to hide. And the reason I didn't go into detail into the changes in Selene's appearance was because I didn't want to give away too much about Nehan's original wielder.

On another note I would like to take this opportunity to say please don't flame me over the HitsuMatsu pairing, I don't go around flaming HitsuHina and HitsuKarin fics so PLEASE don't BS my fic we are talking about fictional characters so let's not start some childish war of words over it; speaking of 'HINA' I have yet to decide if she'll overcome Aizen's mental conditioning and live or if she'll come to her senses too late and die (either way this is not meant to be an anti Momo Hinamori fic nor will it ever be if I have anything to say about it {and I do btw} in either case she's one of Aizen's victims), I have a story line worked out for both scenarios and since I can't make up my mind I encourage you all to visit my profile and vote on it. Anyway I'll update as soon as possible, until then please leave a review (this is the first time I've done a fight scene involving a scythe wielder so please tell me how I did) and take care of yourselves.

**Devil's Arms**

A warlock's answer to a Zanpakutou; there are however three differences between the two types of weapons. First of all a Devil's arm can not purify hollows (Alexander's is the exception since he became a shinigami), they don't have stages of release such as Shikai and Bankai, and lastly each individual Devil's arm has it's own unique special ability which the Warlock usually builds their fighting style around.


	14. The Sinner

Author's Notes: Sorry this took so long, this chapter ended up being a lot longer than I thought (it may be even longer than chapter 12). Just so you know parts of this chapter takes place in that underground city Alexander visited in the third chapter..

I don't own Bleach or Devil May Cry

Please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review

**Ch.14 The Sinner**

"Well said" Maximilian said softly with a smile "you know where the rendezvous point is?"

"_Finally, I've been busting my ass off for this"_ Alexander thought eagerly "of course my lord."

"Wait, did I just here his thoughts?" Retsu asked and no one even noticed her "it must be because these are his memories."

"Very well, good luck" Maximilian replied "make us proud Prince Alexander."

"Of course" Alexander said he left the throne room, he didn't say anything as he walked through the castle and the underground city, he smiled as he watched a group of children playing in the streets and the adults were all working on something or other.

Retsu watched as the entire scene went pitch black for a moment before she found her self standing in the woods next to a railroad track, the night sky was filled with stars and a full moon was shining brightly above her. She looked to her left to see five men, who appeared to be in their late teens or early twenties. But what she found the most surprising were their appearances; one of them was a red head, two had brown hair, and the other three were blondes.

"_That's odd I thought all members of the Warlock clan had black hair" _Retsu thought curiously.

"So you're him aren't you?" the eldest of the blonde boys asked "Princess Dorothy's son; Prince Alexander Dark-Heart?"

"That's right" a blonde haired Alexander replied as he arrived on scene "you don't have to call me 'Prince Alexander', think of me as a simple soldier who happens to be on the same mission as you."

"Good, I was afraid you'd be some arrogant spoiled brat" the older teen said with a smirk and the others nodded in approval "you know what the mission is?"

"A mission to **acquire recourses** and we're to ensure there are **no** witnesses" Alexander replied.

"That's right" the leader said plainly as he nodded "as I'm sure you know when the mission begins we'll have approximately two hours to complete it, however…"

"Sir?" Alexander asked as he raised an eye brow in curiosity _"What the Hell is he getting at?"_

"…I've heard you're supposed to be a real child prodigy" the older boy continued "how long do you think you could complete this mission on your own?"

"As long as security isn't too far beyond the scope of the mission I could probably have it all done in about thirty minutes" Alexander answered after a couple moments _"let me guess, smart ass."_

"Then I think we'll let you handle it alone" he replied "after all six people is really overkill for a mission like this…" the others nodded in agreement "…what do you think?"

"If that is what you wish, you **are** the commander for this mission; all I care about is that the mission is complete…" Alexander answered "…I have no intention of betraying Lord Maximilian's expectations."

"For now I recommend you just worry about meeting **my** expectations" their leader said plainly before a loud whistle echoed in the air "there's our target, we'll give you forty minutes, the goods are in the first car behind the train itself…" suddenly a train began to rush past them "…good luck and try not to die."

"_ASSHOLE!!!" _Alexander swore in his mind before placing his right hand over his heart and chanting "Seal of the Beast…release."

"_What is that?" _Retsu thought as she watched Alexander's hair turn black and the marks of the Warlock spread across his face; however his eyes stayed dark green. She watched as the young man leapt into the air and she seemed to follow along despite not moving a muscle.

"In case you don't know, allow me to explain" the older Alexander's voice echoed "after my clan lost the war with the shinigami centuries ago, the survivors had to go into hiding in order to survive so they created a special seal in order to disguise their spiritual pressures so we couldn't be sensed and turn our hair to our genetic colors to avoid visual detection whenever we gathered in groups. However these seals also sealed our powers so we had to release them whenever we went on missions or else we'd be slaughtered."

"_So that's why they were never sighted after the war"_ Retsu thought in amazement _"it's not that the Shinigami killed them all, they just found a way to go into hiding right under their noses for over seven hundred years" _suddenly the younger Alexander landed on railing behind the last car.

Alexander placed his hand the wall next to the door, moments later he smirked before saying "this is going to be fun" he opened the door with his left hand as he summoned his scythe with his right hand and walked through, Retsu just watched she passed right through the wall.

There were fifteen people inside the train car; three were dressed in what appeared to be the railway's employee uniform, eleven appeared to be nothing but passengers though their extravagant clothing showed they must've been incredibly rich, one man who was dressed in a Priest's robes was sitting towards the center, and the last one was a security guard with a pistol resting in a holster around his waist no more than a yard or so away from the Priest.

"What the hell are you doing here kid?" the guard asked as he entered and one of the operators walked towards an emergency alarm.

"Can't have that" Alexander said dryly as he raised his left hand _"Warlock Art: Shadow Spear!!!"_ a black mass of energy shot from his left hand and smashed the alarm rendering it unusable.

"Drop your weapon and put your hands behind your head!!!" the guard ordered as he drew his gun.

"Alarm disabled" Alexander said coldly as the passengers and staff braced themselves against the walls and he began to walk towards the guard down the center "continuing mission…"

"Damn it!" the guard swore as he fired his weapon and a loud bang filled the car, before he knew it he was starring at the edge of the youth's scythe as it came rushing towards his neck "how in the Hell?"

She had thought that the days when **anything **could surprise had long sense pasted, however Retsu came to realize just how wrong she was when her eyes shot open in shock as she watched the boy who would one day save her life rush towards the guard with his weapon aimed at the guard's neck without **any** hesitation, "DON'T!!!" she shouted even though no one heard her.

"…commencing elimination" the young Alexander said just before passing the guard without stopping until he had reached the other end.

"That was the moment I became a Sinner in every sense of the word" Alexander's older voice said solemnly as the guard's body fell to the floor with a disturbing thud, Retsu was too shocked to notice but a tear was trickling down her cheek.

The young Alexander didn't stop there as soon as he reached the other end of the car he pulled out four crystals and chanted "Warlock Art Asylum of Silence" instantly the inside of the car was encased in a black prism mere moments before screams for help filled his ears. "There's no use in screaming" Alexander said plainly "the others can't hear us and there's no escape" the passengers and crew looked at him in terror as he smiled and said "Warlock Art: Shadow Strangulation" before they knew it thirteen shadows had each wrapped themselves around a passenger's neck, they tried to break free but to no avail as each fell limp one after the other.

Towards the middle the priest who had ducked into his seat looked out into the isle as he heard Alexander begin to laugh manically, suddenly he caught sight of the guard's gun, deciding there weren't any better options available he leapt for the gun and pointed it at Alexander before shouting "DIE DEMON!!!" he pulled the trigger but nothing happened which only caused the Warlock to laugh harder.

"I knew you would that" Alexander stated in utter amusement "it's so satisfying, I really must thank you. I guess no one ever told you that older guns like that one can only be fired once before you have to reload them…such a fickle weapon, he really should've packed several in case he missed; not that it would've done him any good against me but look at him, he's literally lying on the ground without a head on his shoulders."

"You knew I was there?!" the Priest asked in panic.

"I knew, I left you alive because on purpose to see if you would actually go for the gun" Alexander answered in delight "as I expected, you're a hypocrite" the priest appeared to be confused "you claim to be 'Men of God', meant to spread the ideals of peace and love; if that were true you should be incapable of holding a weapon, let alone pointing it at a thirteen year old boy and pulling the trigger."

"You're not a boy, you're a DEMON!!!" the priest hissed.

"Wow I actually agree with you" Alexander said in amusement "any last words while I recover from my shock and awe?"

The priest looked at him in rage before saying "You won't go unpunished for this!!! God knows what you're doing!!! Your fall will be hard and painful beyond the limits of your imagination!!!" suddenly he felt the blade of Alexander's scythe pierce his chest.

"That's nice **father**" Alexander chuckled before pulling his blade out and the priest fell to the ground "but I'm in a hurry, so I don't have time for some boring sermon" he pulled out a pocket watch from his robe before thinking _"it's been three minutes since I began this mission, there are still four more passenger's cars to clear out, the vault car, and then I have to stop this train…"_ he looked towards the next car as the Asylum of silence faded _"…this is going to be easy…"_ Retsu watched in disbelief as the younger Alexander started walking towards the next car and his grin widened immensely _"…too easy!!!" _

*Twenty minutes later*

The conductors were lying on the floor in a pool of blood as Alexander pulled the brake causing the train to come to a screeching stop. Though he wasn't injured, Alexander's robes were covered in blood.

"Very impressive" a familiar voice called out "you said half an hour and did it in twenty minutes. And I see you didn't leave anyone alive, well done" several black haired boys appeared just outside the train.

"Let's just get the goods and get out of here" Alexander said bluntly as his scythe disappeared _"you're really starting to piss me off"_ he thought as they made their way towards the vault.

"Okay boys let's open this sucker up" their leader commanded as he and the others pointed their hands at the lock.

"Warlock Art: Shadow Spear" the six teens chanted sending a black mass of energy towards the lock blowing a hole straight through it, two of them walked up to the door and opened it revealing several over twenty bags of money and dozens of gold bars" four of the boys were speechless except for Alexander and the one who had been a red-head before releasing his seal.

"Since no one seems willing to say it I will" he began "excellent work, you live up to your reputation Prince Alexander."

"Thanks but it would seem that our mission just had another objective added to it" Alexander replied.

"What the hell are you talking about?" their leader asked before several loud roars rang through their ears "hollows…"

Sure enough as soon as the word left his mouth the car was surrounded by ten hollows. All six Warlocks drew their Devil's arms before blasting several holes throughout the car and leaping through them to combat the hollows.

*Five minutes later*

The hollows were all bunched together a few yards away from the train; though they were injured none of them had been killed, the same held true for the six Warlocks.

"Finally we've got them were we want them" one of the Warlocks said in relief.

"Stay focused" Alexander said coldly as they surrounded the ten hollows completely ignoring a cut on his cheek.

The six Warlocks were surrounded in a black aura as they chanted "Warlock Art: Binding Shadow Serpents" suddenly dozens of shadows rushed towards the hollows as they took the shape of countless snakes and wrapped themselves around the hollows preventing them from moving.

"Lord Maximilian should be pleased" Alexander said happily as they watched the hollows struggle against their restraints, but to no avail.

"_Why aren't they finishing off the hollows?"_ Retsu asked herself _"are they planning to use them for something?! That's madness!!!"_

"So can we leave now?" one of them asked.

"Hold it right there who or what are you people?!" a voice demanded.

The boys looked to the sky to see a man with short brown hair descending upon them in a black kimono.

"And that was my first encounter with…" the older Alexander's voice began.

"…a shinigami" the younger Alexander finished coldly.

"_Don't tell me he's going to…"_ Retsu thought before the six Warlocks charged the shinigami, thinking fast the shinigami leapt into the air and drew his sword.

"Slam them!!!" the shinigami chanted before he coughed up blood as a blade pierced his chest and he dropped his weapon "what the hell" he looked at the blade to see it was sticking out a small rift hanging in the air right in front of him.

"Too easy" Alexander said in an even colder tone as he pulled his scythe's blade out of the shinigami's chest and back through the portal he had created, the shinigami fell right next to him.

"How'd you do that?" the leader of the team asked.

"My Devil's arm allows me to create rifts wherever I can see instead of just what's within arm's reach; in other words I can use it to turn an opponent's attack against them, redirect my own attacks if my opponent manages to dodge them, and as you just saw exploit openings in my enemies' defense from far away" Alexander explained "unfortunately with my limited amount of spirit energy I can only make rifts about two feet in diameter" suddenly Alexander felt a hand grab him just above left foot.

"You boys are Warlocks, aren't you?" the shinigami asked desperately "I thought you were extinct…"

"I thought you were dead" Alexander said plainly "I guess we've both been proven wrong tonight."

"Why have you done this?" the shinigami asked "according to the history books, your clan always fought to protect the innocent from hollows and anyone who promoted senseless violence; and yet you killed all those passengers, most of them weren't even armed yet you butchered them anyway."

"For the same reason, that I've killed you" Alexander replied "we can't have anyone knowing that we're still alive; if word got out you Soul Society Pigs would intervene."

"Intervene in what?" the shinigami asked as he started breathing heavily.

"Lord Maximilian's reformation" Alexander answered "we're going to change this country and with it…the world!!!"

The shinigami chuckled before saying "you will fail…"

Alexander kicked his leg free the shinigami's grip before spinning around and sinking the blade of his scythe in the back of the shinigami silencing him forever.

*Five minutes later back at Headquarters*

"Well done, all of you" Maximilian said in soft approval "the money will help our people maintain our livelihood and the hollows…"

"…will help further your plans?" Alexander asked hopefully before saying "please forgive my interruption lord Maxi…"

"It's alright, don't get so worked up" Maximilian said pleasantly "this was your first mission and it went so well, the poor shinigami never stood a chance" he looked to the other boys before saying "and that goes for you as well, in the mean time get some rest, I intend to rely on your skills and intelligence in the future."

"Yes my lord" the six boys said in sync before they left the throne room Alexander looked back at their leader with a hopeful expression but seemed disappointed moments later as he took his seat and began to read a book.

"_That man disturbs me"_ Retsu thought to herself.

"Say Prince Alexander" their leader said plainly.

"Yes?" Alexander replied.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for being such a jackass to you earlier, you really do live up to the hype" he answered.

"Don't worry about it" Alexander said plainly "and there's no need to call me 'Prince', just Alex is fine with me. There's only one person who I wish to please" he explained before saying "excuse me" and leaving.

"So he's trying to get Lord Maximilian to acknowledge him" one of the other warlocks said with a hint of pity.

"I guess that makes sense" another said thoughtfully.

"Yeah after all Lord Maximilian is…" yet another began.

"I think we better leave it at that" the last one said "he seems alright, I say we help if we can down the road."

The others nodded in agreement; little did they know Alexander was hiding behind a cornor nearby. At first he seemed to be unaffected by their conversation, but Retsu couldn't help but smile when she heard them think _"thank you guys."_

"Did you make some friends Alex?" a soft woman's voice called out from behind him.

"Mother" Alexander replied as he turned to face her; like the other Warlocks she had jet black hair which she wore in a ponytail at the base of her neck which reached halfway down her torso, her eyes were dark green like her son's but they seemed to emanate a certain gentleness that the young man lacked "I didn't see you there."

"How was your mission?" Dorothy asked.

"I can't go into details as I'm sure you know" Alexander began causing Dorothy to smile softly "but the job got done" he looked to his left before thinking _"though I'll admit having to kill people wasn't as easy as I thought it would be."_

Dorothy hugged her son before saying "you know you can tell me anything" Alexander wouldn't answer "why don't you take tomorrow off and head into the city, you could use it."

"I'm fine" Alexander replied quickly.

"It's not nice to lie to your mother" Dorothy said softly before letting him go "now get some sleep, I need to have a talk with Maximilian" causing Alexander to raise an eyebrow before heading for his quarters.

"My mother Dorothy was the only descendant of our clan's founder Morgan Dark-Heart before I was born, after I was born she was the closest thing I had to a conscience…" the older Alexander's voice echoed

"_So that's Third Seat Dark-Heart's mother, she seems like a lovely woman"_ Retsu thought pleasantly before her eyes popped open as if she had just realized something important was missing.

"…unfortunately I never listened to her as much as I should have, as you saw with that train" the older voice finished as the scene changed to a small bedroom as his younger self dropped on the bed and fell asleep without even drawing his sheets.

Retsu watched as the entire scene went black, to her surprise instead of changing to the next memory it just stayed black.

"So we meet again, hey brat?" a sadistic but familiar female voice asked catching Retsu's attention as she turned to see a young woman with messy black hair that reached down to her ankles, her body was covered in the black marks of the Warlock clan, and she had dark green eyes just like Alexander.

"Piss off and stop disturbing my dreams" Alexander spat.

"This isn't a dream Alexander" she replied in annoyance.

"Who or **what **are you?" Alexander asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I answered the 'what' part of your question" she began "as for the 'who'…well why not give it a shot? My name is…"

"Kokuhyou" Retsu said in surprise _"he had established contact with his Zanpakutou without even setting foot in the soul society…let alone the academy."_

"_I still couldn't hear her name"_ Alexander thought.

"_I guess he wasn't quite ready for shikai"_ Retsu thought.

"How disappointing, that you still can't hear my name" Kokuhyou said with a hint of disappointment in her voice "after all there is no one in existence who knows me as well as you."

"Look lady, I'm sorry but I don't want to know anyone as unpleasant as you on **any **level" Alexander said rudely "now why don't you go away."

"I'm afraid I can't do that" Kokuhyou stated plainly as she held out her right hand and a familiar black long sword appeared.

Kokuhyou leapt towards Alexander and swung downwards, Alexander quickly placed both hands in front of him and his scythe appeared in his hands just in time to keep her from splitting his skull in half. Alexander swung his scythe to his left throwing Kokuhyou back giving him just enough time to take his stance and leap towards her as he swung his scythe horizontally, Kokuhyou raised her sword in time to catch the blade right where it was attached to the rod. Alexander immediately performed a right roundhouse to try and catch Kokuhyou off guard; however she immediately disappeared in a wave of black energy.

"So you focused your spirit energy into the claws on your right foot, instead of one of your hands?" Kokuhyou said curiously "that's pretty smart, most Warlocks let the claws on their feet go to waist but you actually put them to use. It's a shame that such resourcefulness is wasted on a puppet like you."

"Who are you calling a puppet?!" Alexander asked as he waved his left hand and sent five arcs of black energy towards Kokuhyou.

"Warlock Art: Demonic Protection" Kokuhyou chanted as a black shield appeared in front of her and blocked Alexander's attack. Moments later she appeared right behind Alexander and placed her blade right at his neck before saying "that would be you of course" Alexander looked at her enraged "I must say; you absolutely disgusts me every time you bow down to that low life Maximilian and go 'of course **Lord** Maximilian', 'thank you **Lord** Maximilian', or 'whatever you say **Lord** Maximilian' I really want to just ring your sorry neck."

"How dare you!!!" Alexander hissed "Lord Maximilian is our leader and through his guidance we will remake this country and then the world…even if I were to die I could at least die knowing that his plan will lead to the rebirth of the world."

"Damn, can you get any more delusional?" Kokuhyou asked sarcastically as she let Alexander go and he looked at her darkly "the man has you and the rest of the clan go out on secret missions that involve killing innocent people and to retrieve any hollows you run across, tell me do you have even the slightest idea of how he plans to make this **'rebirth'** happen? And what the Hell is he planning to do with the hollows anyway?"

"That's not for me to know" Alexander answered coldly.

"AH, COME ON!!!" Kokuhyou shouted "you broke at least two if not all three of your clan's most sacred tenants, and you're telling me that you don't even know why?!"

"What tenants?" Alexander asked in annoyance.

"You're kidding right?" Kokuhyou replied "jeez kid, you have access to the castle library don't you? Read up on your own damn clan, you ignorant prince!"

"Are you done yet?" Alexander asked as he leapt towards Kokuhyou preparing to swing his scythe down on her.

"I guess so" Kokuhyou said dryly as she sidestepped Alexander's attack and stabbed him through the chest "our time is up anyway, make sure you hit the books when you have some free time."

Alexander woke up after she finished speaking and immediately placed his hand over his heart to make sure there wasn't a stab wound "what the hell is up with those damn dreams?" he breathed as he turned his attention towards his closet _"some time in the city might do me some good after all" _he thought as he dawned some brown clothes before heading towards underground exit.

"So you're heading out?" Dorothy asked happily as he arrived at the exit tunnel and her son nodded "be careful now" she added before the marks spread across her body and she opened the exit to the outside world.

"Mother, may I ask you something?" Alexander asked as he placed the seal of the beast on his chest, causing his hair to turn blonder.

"Of course" Dorothy replied.

"Have you ever heard of any sort of tenants or laws our clan is supposed to follow?" he asked.

"Why yes" Dorothy replied in surprise "there are a lot of them and the punishment for breaking them varies on their severity, breaking any of the three highest level tenants or the sacred tenants as we call them is punishable by death."

"_Three sacred tenants?!"_ Alexander thought "what are these three sacred tenants?"

"Never traffic with hollows, never involve yourself with forbidden research, and never kill an innocent person" Dorothy answered.

"_I bloody told you so didn't I?"_ Kokuhyou's voice asked mockingly.

"Thank you mother" Alexander replied as he left

"I **definitely** need to talk to Maximilian" Alexander heard Dorothy say as the exit closed behind him.

Suddenly the scene went black before it cleared revealing Retsu and Alexander standing to the side of a street filled with dozens of people. Several horse drawn carriages made there way past them as snow began to fell softly from the sky.

Retsu looked around but didn't recognize any of the landmarks suddenly she thought _"That's right I still haven't figured out where or when all this occurred?"_

"Washington D.C. in the winter of eighteen ninety six…" the older Alexander's voice echoed as if to answer her question.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here woman?!" a man's voice shouted.

Retsu turned to see what appeared to be a white police officer standing over an old black woman who was collapsed on the ground next to him, her clothes were patchy and torn in several places, and there was a small cut on her cheek.

"Well answer me!!! You should know that your kind aint welcome here!!!" the officer hissed as he raised his baton to strike the woman.

"…though the American Civil war had ended and the practice of slavery had been abolished about three decades earlier; segregation, poverty, and government policies at the state and local level called Jim Crow Laws insured that racial tensions weren't going to die quickly or quietly…" the older Alexander continued.

The officer began to swing his weapon but he felt a type grip on his wrist stop him in his tracks "What the hell are you doing boy?" he asked before the younger Alexander kicked him in the chin sending him stumbling back.

"You alright?" Alexander asked and the woman nodded.

"You brat!!!" the officer hissed as he got back up and saw Alexander handing his coat over to the woman "do you know who I am?"

"I couldn't care less" Alexander said rudely "why don't you piss off before you get hurt, you pig?!"

"…it was truly a sad and pathetic point in American history" the older Alexander stated "but that was the unfortunate reality of the era that I grew up in."

"Sir you should probably stand down that man is…" the woman began.

"Relax, I can handle myself ma'am" Alexander stated before walking up to a crowd that had gathered around them and grabbed a spectator by the collar "what the Hell is wrong with you people? You call yourselves men and women?"

"Boy listen here" the spectator began but was cut off when Alexander shoved his face into the ground.

"Sorry there's no excuse for this" Alexander began as most of the people backed off in fear "listen up because I'm only going to say this once!!! When you see someone beating up on an old lady, you DON'T turn a blind eye or just watch like it's a damn ball game!!!"

Retsu smiled lightly before thinking _"he was just like Elaina when he was a kid."_

"Instead you should be making an example of this man" Alexander continued "for example I was planning to drag him over to the edge of the building over there and slamming his face into the corner as hard as I could until he either died or it stopped being funny, which ever came **second**."

"Boy I am a COP!!!" the man said angrily as he stood up.

Alexander burst out laughing before saying "This is adorable, he thinks I give a shit."

"I'm also a member of the clan" the cop added which made Alexander stop laughing.

"Are you serious?" Alexander asked quietly and the man nodded smugly. Seconds later the man's eyes popped open as the barely of a six shot revolver was shoved into his mouth and Alexander was smiling widely "that's wonderful, now I can enjoy this instead of just feeling indifferent about it."

The gathered spectators immediately ran away as the sound of a loud bang filled the air "thank you" the woman said weakly.

"Don't mention it" Alexander replied as he helped her up "you can keep the coat."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked.

"Look ma'am you got a new jacket, I got a few laughs, and that guy took a forty five caliber bullet to the head" Alexander said plainly "I'll sleep well tonight knowing that **a lot** of good happened here today. Now we should get going before more cops show up."

*Two hours later*

"_That was fun kid"_ Kokuhyou's voice echoed inside Alexander's head _"I didn't think you had it in you well done. I guess you'll be hitting the library as soon as you go back to the hide out and then you'll start plotting…"_

"_Shut up already"_ Alexander thought crudely as he picked out a new jacket and took it up to the cashier.

"_What how can you not be planning to turn against Maximilian after that?"_ Kokuhyou asked in annoyance.

"_Dumb ass, crap like that is exactly why I __**support**__ Lord Maximilian" _Alexander replied.

_Flashback _

"May I ask you what you think of the situation in the world, Lord Maximilian?" a six year old Alexander asked.

"For as long as mankind has existed the world has been bitterly divided between countless groups that are more than ready to kill others over matters of land, history, race, religion, or sexual orientation" Maximilian began "which is why the world is still plagued by war and discrimination."

"What do you think needs to be done my Lord?" Alexander asked.

"That's where this country comes in" Maximilian answered "this country is still new and incomplete, as a result it's more malleable than other countries around the world which have existed for several millennia" Alexander looked up to him curiously "right now this country is…rough around the edges but within the next ten years I hope to help it…**mature**. I can't share the details with you but my plan has three stages; first a **rebirth** through cleansing, then we help this country find it's way, and then we repeat the process on a global scale until we finally rid the world of war and discrimination" Alexander looked at him hopefully "will I be able to count on your help Prince Alexander?"

"Of course" Alexander replied.

_End Flashback_

"_You're kidding right? I understand you were only six when he said it. But you're still buying that crap even now"_ Kokuhyou asked crudely as Alexander put on his new coat.

"_You see any reason why it won't work?" _Alexander thought _"after all you don't know what his plans are do you?"_

"_No but I do know two things for certain"_ Kokuhyou replied _"it's not possible to rid the world of war because humans are driven by an uncontrollable instinct to kill and there's no way a plan that relies heavily on people __**like you**__ could ever inspire people to overcome that instinct."_

"_What do you mean?"_ Alexander asked.

"_Isn't it obvious?" _Kokuhyou asked crudely _"you have no right to preach about not killing people; after all __**you…are…a…MURDERER**__!!!" _Alexander stopped in the middle of the street _"have you forgotten that racist cop you shot or all those passengers on that train that you killed in cold blood."_

Alexander gave no response as the scene went completely black and the older Alexander's voice said "and for the next three years I continued to follow Maximilian's orders, I carried out my mission, killed countless people regardless if they were a threat or not, kept my mother in the dark about what Maximilian was having me do, fighting with Kokuhyou in my dreams, and refusing to see the obvious signs in front of me…this continued until I was called upon to carry out one fateful mission."

The scene cleared to show a sixteen year old Alexander kneeling before Maximilian in the throne room. He had grown about a foot and a half over the past three years his hair was now shoulder length and his face now had a more mature expression. Maximilian had aged as well but still looked more or less the same, standing behind him were three women and three men all of whom had black hair and were wearing the robes of the Warlock clan.

"Tell me Prince Alexander do you know who these people are behind me?" Maximilian asked and Alexander shook his head "they are six out of the seven members of my secret council."

"It's an honor" Alexander said in respect before thinking _"to think Lord Maximilian has introduced me to six…wait a minute"_ he stood up slowly before asking "who's the seventh if I may ask my Lord?"

"He catches on fast" one of the women said in approval "may I my Lord?" Maximilian nodded "allow me to introduce my self first, I'm the woman who occupies the seat of 'Lust' and whenever we meet that is how you should refer to me since our identities are supposed to be secret."

"Understood lady Lust" Alexander replied as he turned to the other five council members.

"You may call me 'Vanity'" one of the other women informed him.

"You can just call me 'Envy'" the last woman said with a smile.

"I'm 'Greed'" one of the men said.

"They call me 'Sloth'" the second man said lazily.

"And I'm 'Gluttony'" the last one said plainly as Alexander noticed that he was a rather obese man.

"Again it is an honor" Alexander said politely "what is it that I may do for you my Lords and Ladies?"

"The seventh member of the Council 'Wrath' has gone rogue and is attempting to contact the Soul Society to expose our existence as well as to inform them of our plans" Lust began gaining Alexander's absolute attention.

"To make matters worse he's incredibly adept at detecting spiritual pressures of anyone he's ever met before" Sloth said in clear annoyance "as it stands none of us could ever hope to get close to him in time."

"Which is why, we've decided to send you after him" Vanity began "since he's never encountered you before, so he shouldn't see you coming. We hate to ask you to do this alone but unfortunately you're the only one he hasn't met yet who could hope to defeat him."

"I understand" Alexander replied "where is he?"

"Hold up for just one second" Gluttony said "just so you know Wrath is an **Awakened** Warlock, not a **Born** Warlock, I'm sure you know what that means."

Alexander looked to the man in shock before saying "he has the demonic eyes just like Lord Maximilian…"

"That's correct" Greed stated darkly "knowing this will you still agree to face him, even though the odds will be stacked against you?"

Alexander looked at Greed with determination before saying "If I don't our entire clan and everything we hope to achieve will be ruined. I'll hunt down this traitor Wrath and I promise you, I will kill him."

"Well said" Maximilian replied "we're all counting on you Prince Alexander."

Suddenly the scene went black before it cleared revealing Retsu, Alexander, and another man wearing the robes of the Warlock clan standing in the middle of a clearing in a forest.

"So Maximilian and the others sent you after me" Wrath said calmly as he turned towards Alexander; he appeared to be in his early forties, he had short black hair, he had the build of a professional wrestler and he was approximately six and a half feet tall.

"_Damn he's big"_ Alexander thought as his attention shifted towards the man's blood red eyes with dark black slits for irises.

"They sent a child after me? Just how low can that bastard Maximilian go?" Wrath asked.

"Don't underestimate me!!!" Alexander hissed as his scythe materialized and he leapt towards Wrath.

Wrath lifted his right hand before a gauntlet appeared from his hand to halfway down his forearm stopping the scythe in its tracks.

"This Devil's arm…" Wrath stated before he looked at the younger man with a solemn expression on his face "…you're the Prince of the Warlock clan aren't you."

"Bastard!!!" Alexander swore as Wrath's demonic eyes shot towards his right arm moments before it was engulfed in black energy turning his hand into a black spear head of energy, Wrath quickly kicked Alexander in the chest sending him flying several yards back.

"Please surrender Prince Alexander" Wrath begged "I have no wish to kill you."

"That's hilarious coming from a guy who betrayed Lord Maximilian and our clan!" Alexander replied crudely _"who the Hell does this guy think he is?"_

"Please listen to me Prince Alexander" Wrath began "Maximilian is just using you and the clan for his own gains!"

"How dare you!" Alexander hissed as he leapt towards Wrath and tried to slam him with a downward swing of his scythe.

Wrath leapt backwards to avoid Alexander's scythe before sighing and saying "I was at Gettysburg during the war" Alexander looked at him curiously before he said "my parents and older siblings had left the house to get groceries when the fighting began; for three days I couldn't leave our home as the soldiers fought each other, when it was finally over the city was a wreck and the streets were littered with bodies lying in pools of their own blood…including my families' corpses, all tolled approximately fifty thousand people lost their lives in that hellish battle" tears began to form in his eyes "after two days of mental hell my dormant spirit energy and my darkness affinity awakened which is how I ended up in the Warlock Clan."

"So why are you betraying us?!" Alexander asked "if you really lost your family in the war why would you turn your back on the very people who gave you a new life?!"

"I know that what Maximilian says may sound right, and I understand that you truly wish to believe him" Wrath began before disappearing and reappearing right next to Alexander with his left hand on his shoulder.

"_So fast"_ Alexander thought _"is this power of a Warlock who has the Demonic eyes?!"_

"Don't believe a word of it…his words will end up killing not just this country, but the entire world" Wrath continued causing Alexander's eyes to pop open before he leapt away and took his stance "is that what you want?"

"SHUT UP" Alexander shouted before leaping towards Wrath.

"I see" Wrath replied as he grabbed the blade of Alexander's scythe with his gauntlet "I understand how you feel" he locked eyes with the younger Warlock "I'll try my best not to kill you."

Retsu watched as the two men fought each other for several minutes, the man called Wrath received no injuries and attack sparingly, while Alexander had several bruises and cuts over his body and he was using spell after spell to no avail against Wrath.

"Are you ready to give up yet?" Wrath asked as he watched Alexander panting heavily and he ripped off the top half of his shredded robes "I can tell you won't last long just by looking at you."

"Screw you!!!" Alexander replied as he felt a surge of pain in his chest and his vision began to go black _"damn it, those eyes are too much. And to make it worse he's a lot tougher than I am"_ he almost blacked out but he managed to stay standing, Wrath dashed towards him and pulled his right fist back to prepare for a knock out punch _"power…I need more power!!!"_

"Wow quite a pinch you've got yourself into" Kokuhyou said calmly causing Alexander's eyes to pop open as he found himself within the familiar current of black energy "but if this keeps up you'll probably die."

"I'm aware of that" Alexander said bluntly _"what the Hell is she doing here?"_

Kokuhyou smirked before asking "tell me do you want to win this fight?" Alexander focused his attention on her "or do you just want to live?"

"What kind of question is that?!" Alexander shot back "of course I want to WIN. If I lose everything I live for will be GONE!!!" Kokuhyou place her palm over his face silencing him.

"A good answer" Kokuhyou replied happily as her hand glowed black "who knows? You may just cut your own strings and be worthy of wielding me."

"Wielding you?" Alexander said in confusion before his vision cleared and he saw Wrath charging towards him what perplexed him more than the quickly changing scenery and Kokuhyou's words was the fact that he could now see a strange glow in Wrath's gauntlet _"got to MOVE!!!"_ he thought as he raised his scythe to cover his chest and focused his spirit energy into the handle and just like Wrath's gauntlet the section of the scythe's handle began to glow _"what the Hell is going on here?"_

Wrath's gauntlet collided with Alexander's scythe, however the force didn't force Alexander back more than a couple of inches "What's this?!" Wrath asked.

"_He's not just faster, but stronger as well"_ Retsu thought as she felt Alexander's spiritual pressure suddenly shoot through the roof as he was engulfed in a black aura.

"What happened?" Alexander asked "you're attacks seemed so much stronger and faster a few minutes ago" Wrath's right arm was forced back as Alexander pushed on his scythe's handle with both hands and he looked up to the larger warlock, Wrath's eyes shot open as he looked into Alexander's eyes; seconds earlier they had been dark green, but now they were blood red and his irises were now slit shaped.

"Demonic eyes" Wrath said in a mixture of shock and terror.

"Are you scared Wrath?" Alexander asked after sensing fear from Wrath's eyes "you should be."

Alexander smiled widely before he forced Wrath back several feet with a shove "impossible" Wrath said weakly as Alexander dashed towards him, Wrath pointed his gauntlet towards Alexander as the fingers shot off, Alexander brushed them aside with a single swing of his scythe "got you" Wrath stated as the fingers seemed to float behind Alexander and fired several thin beams of energy towards the boy.

"Petty tricks like that won't work on me Wrath" Alexander said before he disappeared in a wave of black energy seconds before the beams would've turned him into Swiss cheese, he reappeared about twenty yards away with his scythe over his shoulder "so your Devil's arm allows you to detach the fingers from the Gauntlet turning them into flying blasters essentially?" he leaned towards Wrath and readied his scythe "that won't stop me."

"I'm impressed Prince Alexander" Wrath said calmly as the five fingers floated in front of him "you managed to awaken an extremely rare power in the middle of a fight, truly an impressive feat. Unfortunately that means I can't hold back on you anymore, if you attack I'll have no choice but to kill you."

Alexander said nothing as he dashed towards Wrath, the five fingers immediately flew towards him and began to glow as they prepared to fire. Alexander began to spin clockwise as he leapt forward and split two of the fingers before landing on his foot, which he used to lunge himself forward once more before he performed a series of front flips and he took out the other three fingers, he landed about three feet from Wrath before he performed a three hundred and sixty degree spin sending the blade straight towards Wrath's torso.

"It's over" Alexander said with a tone of finality as the blade pierced Wrath's chest.

"You must listen to me Prince Alexander" Wrath said desperately "I don't have much time left."

A younger Alexander would've simply pulled his scythe free from Wrath's chest and have taken his head off, but for some reason he felt compelled to say "make it quick then."

"You've gained the demonic eyes, I don't know if this is just good fortune or part of God's divine guidance but it doesn't matter" Wrath began "when you get back to the city Maximilian will likely offer you my seat on the council, when that happens he'll show you what he's scheming, I implore you to observe him with your Demonic eyes…" he suddenly coughed up blood before saying "…when you realize the truth I beg you to stop him!!!"

"Why are saying these things to me?" Alexander asked "surely you know that I'm…"

"I know" Wrath said weakly as his breathing became heavy "but I saw the kind of man you are with my Demonic eyes, I can tell that when you come to that cross roads, you'll make the right choice" Wrath began to cry "your ancestor Morgan Dark-Heart became the first Warlock after losing her loved ones to the Medieval Crusades which were fueled by people who took Religious faith too far, I became one after I lost my family in that awful Civil war which was fueled by Racism; both wars were miserable tragedies that should never have happened it the first place…" he coughed up more blood "…you mustn't let our clan become a force that causes tragedies that create people like me or your ancestral mother…**I'm**…**begging**…**you**."

"I'll take a look at Lord Maximilian with my eyes, but I can't promise you anything more" Alexander said solemnly as he felt Wrath go limp _"what are you doing Lord Maximilian?"_ he thought as lay Wrath on the ground, clamped his heads together, and shut his eyes.

"…_his words will end up killing not just this country, but the entire world?!" _Retsu thought _"what is that man planning?"_ she asked herself as the scene went black before revealing a bandaged Alexander kneeling before Maximilian and the other six council members.

"Well done Prince Alexander" Maximilian stated and the other six nodded.

"It's a shame that we lost the only person with the Demonic eyes like Lord Maximilian" Lust sighed.

"With all due respect I beg to differ" Alexander said calmly as he stood up, black marks spread across his body, and his eyes changed before them.

"Now this is impressive" Maximilian said softly "you make your clan proud."

"Thank you" Alexander replied as he looked into Maximilian's eyes _"what is this I'm sensing from him? Is he __**actually **__looking down on me? No it's not just me; he's looking down on the entire clan."_

"Well council, I feel that the young Prince deserves something special for the service he has just rendered us" Maximilian began and the other six nodded in agreement "how would you like to become the new Wrath?"

"I would be honored" Alexander replied.

"Very well then, welcome to the council" Maximilian "whenever the eight of us meet you shall go by the name 'Wrath', you understand?" Alexander nodded "now what the eight of us discuss and what I am about to show you is top secret, you are to tell no one about it, any questions Wrath?"

"No my Lord" Alexander answered _"Finally some answers!!!"_

"_So you're as curious as I am?" _Kokuhyou asked, she received no response but she smiled when she saw that Alexander still had his demonic eyes at the ready.

Maximilian walked over to his throne as black marks spread across his body his eyes turned dark red before shadows appeared to stretch out from his hand and feed into the bottom of the arm rests, moments later the throne moved back several feet revealing a small opening which Maximilian immediately went through and Alexander followed.

"_What the hell is this all of this?!"_ Alexander thought in shock as he found himself in a large room the size of several foot ball fields which seemed to be separated into dozens of small labs, some of them had cages filled with what appeared to be normal humans who looked out at their captors in terror, while other cages were filled with hollows; upon closer inspection of the hollows, Alexander recognized some of them as hollows he had captured while on mission, except they were now solid black. "My Lord, what is all of this?" Alexander asked as he looked at the walls to notice they appeared to be covered in a blanket of black energy _"Asylum of silence, that's why there haven't been any sounds coming from this place!!!"_

"Our ace in the hole Wrath" Maximilian answered as they started to walk around "ever since I was a young man I had always thought that our clan's biggest problem was that our missions were too small to have any hopes of saving humanity from itself; sure our forerunners helped some slaves escape from bondage and to a much lesser extent they tried to shield the natives to the West from aggressive expansion, but we were always holding ourselves back because we had to avoid being detected by the shinigami. To combat this I eased some restrictions on research and other activities in order to bolster our military power, and to avoid resistance from the older members of our clan I introduced a new code of secrecy to keep them in the dark when I became chief twenty two years ago."

"How does this bolster our military strength?" Alexander asked with a sense of foreboding.

"You see those hollows over there?" Maximilian pointed towards a pen of them and Alexander nodded "through soul manipulation, they've been domesticated to follow their masters' orders, and over there" he pointed towards a man whose body was about three times the size of a normal human "we have people researching other forms of soul manipulation in order to make our soldiers stronger, unfortunately we haven't made a lot of progress on that front, the good news is we've only tested it on prisoners and people they **picked** up in various cities across the country…" suddenly one of the men being experimented broke his shackles violently and his spiritual pressure began spike.

"MAXIMILIAN YOU BASTARD!!!" he shouted as he threw off several Warlocks who tried to restrain him and ran towards the chief. Maximilian looked at him coldly as he and Alexander sidestepped a punch from his incredibly large right arm, before the giant could respond he felt the blade of Maximilian's axe dig into his back, the next thing he knew he was lying on the floor all he could say was "Damn you…Maximilian D…" his vision went black as his soul was absorbed into Maximilian's axe.

"_He, enjoyed that?!" _Alexander thought in shock as he sensed the amusement in Maximilian's eyes.

"As I was saying" Maximilian continued softly as several men came to drag the corpse away "over here we have a process known as 'Soul Fusion' which allows a person with strong spirit energy to absorb a weaker being and thus add their spiritual power to their own, unfortunately this process also has some bugs in it and we've only been able to match the specks to a handful of our members…but most of our other ventures have born fruit."

"What is all this for?" Alexander asked _"please, Lord Maximilian tell me there's a good reason."_

"_He really wants to believe in Maximilian"_ Retsu thought sadly _"but I doubt his intentions are noble."_

"That's right I haven't explained my plan for world peace yet" Maximilian replied.

"_World Peace?!" _Retsu and Alexander thought in sync.

"We're preparing for an attack on Washington thin New Years Eve" Maximilian began "ideally we'll wipe out the whole city but at the very least we'll be able to destroy the President and the Congress in less than half an hour."

"Why?!" Alexander asked unable to hide his shock "even if we managed to do that, what would it accomplish? All that would do is throw this whole country into chaos…Hell it'd lead to another Civil War."

"Exactly" Maximilian said softly causing Alexander's eyes to open widely in shock "without the government to control the army the many groups that promote violence in this country will come out of hiding in order to increase their numbers; imagine having the leaders of every last organization that sews the seeds of racial strife or that commits acts of violence because they've taken religious faith too far out in the day light where we can eliminate them" Alexander was silent after hearing these words "once we eliminate these blood thirst factions the remains of this country will be able to join hands in peaceful union. Tell me can you imagine it, an America without racial strife or religious bigotry?"

"It sounds wonderful" Alexander admitted weakly.

"My plan will make it happen, after that we move on to the rest of the world" Maximilian continued "Paris, Berlin, Rome, London, Beijing, Tokyo, and all other Capitals; we'll keep repeating the process until we've cleansed the entire world of all groups who promote conflict. After that we'll look into doing the same for the Soul Society."

"I see" Alexander replied softly _"so this is what you've been plotting all this time. And I helped make it possible…"_

"_He's insane"_ Retsu thought as she turned her gaze back towards Alexander who seemed at war with himself.

"You seem tired Wrath" Maximilian stated rather plainly instead of his familiarly soft tone "I've asked you to absorb a lot, why don't you get some rest?"

"Thank you" Alexander replied as he exited the labs _"what the Hell am I supposed to do?"_

Retsu watched the scenery turned black before it cleared revealing them to be in a large library with dozens of shelves each about fifteen feet tall filled the brink with books. She looked to her right to notice that both she and Alexander were standing in front of a twenty foot portrait of a female Warlock who appeared to be in her mid twenties; her hair was braided into a ponytail which reached all the way down her to her wais, her eyes were dark red and had slits for irises, the marks of the Warlock clan covered the visible sections of her flesh, and she was holding a large black sword the size of her body with a curved blade which reached all the way to the tip of the handle, the edge was dark silver and a single demonic eye was etched into the middle of the blade.

"Morgan Dark-Heart" Alexander said in awe as he looked at the portrait of his ancestor.

"_An impressive woman" _Retsu thought as to admired the painting _"strange, somehow she seems so…sad and yet so hopeful."_

"_A lot of details are missing from the early years of our clan's past particularly on her life, Hell we don't even know her husband was; but what I do know is that she wrote a short book on how she felt our people should conduct themselves"_ Alexander thought as he reached for a book in the shelf below the picture _"most of her suggestions became law in our clan during the following generations, I wonder if she may be able to help me make sense of what I should do now, despite having been dead for centuries."_

Retsu watched as Alexander headed towards a table and he passed several Warlocks neither of them recognized before taking a seat an opening its cover. Alexander read the book page after page for what seemed like hours as he learned of the many suggestions that Morgan Dark-Heart had made such as the prohibition of alcohol since it could lead a Warlock to doing some gruesome things, not preaching any interpretation of any religion to avoid religious strife within the clan, finally he came upon the last three of her suggested tenants or as she referred to them 'the Three Holy Tenants'.

"_The first Holy Tenant: Never traffic with hollows, though they may be nothing but savage monsters in their present state, they were once human just like us, therefore to enslave them or use them in any way would be cruel and inhumane" _he read causing him to cringe as he remembered all the hollows he had personally delivered to Maximilian _"The Second Holy Tenant: the conducting of research that endangers he lives of others or twists their bodies must be prohibited, though it can be tempting to seek power by any means necessary to fulfill a noble goal, those who involve themselves in such work inevitably become twisted by their work and are engulfed by madness" _the fresh memories of the secret labs rushed through Alexander's mind and he felt his heart beat quicken as he read _"the Final and most important of the Sacred Tenants: Never Kill an innocent, no matter how desperate times may get, we must not take the lives of innocent people because doing so will only create more tragedies and generate even more hatred" _memories of the train he raided on his first mission and all the other occasions in which he had killed civilians because they had seen him or his comrades _"My God…" _Alexander thought as he finished reading and closed the book while holding back tears _"…what have I done?"_

"Are you alright Alexander?" Dorothy said as she took a seat next to him.

"Mother, I didn't see you come in" Alexander stated.

"Reading up on your ancestral mother?" Dorothy asked pleasantly and her son nodded but he seemed to be having trouble looking at her "what's wrong?"

"Mother, I fear something may be terribly wrong with me, our clan, and…" Alexander began.

"…Maximilian?" Dorothy finished for him and he nodded "I thought so" she saw that Alexander was on the verge of tears as she held him and said "tell me everything, I promise I'll help you fix it my son."

"_COME ON YOU DAMN PRINCE, IT'S TIME TO REBEL!!!" _Kokuhyou shouted in Alexander's mind.

"_That's truly too sad"_ Retsu thought.

"And it was at that time that I finally decided to turn against Maximilian and his supporters, my mother and I spent the next six months informing anyone who would listen about Maximilian's plans and began to form our own plans to stop him, thankfully we got a number of strong supporters, somehow my mother had remembered my seventeenth birthday even though I had forgotten it. Eventually as the months passed we arrived on that fateful New Year's Eve of eighteen ninety nine" the older Alexander's voice echoed as the scene changed to a hill overlooking Washington D.C.

"_So it begins" _Retsu thought as she turned to see Alexander standing to the right of the other members of Maximilian's council, while Maximilian himself stood in front of them.

Maximilian held out a pocket watch and smiled widely before saying "soon a new century and a new era shall begin."

Suddenly the eight warlocks sensed several strong spiritual pressures surge as they clashed with one another on the outskirts of the city; what shocked seven of them the most was that there weren't a single shinigami's spiritual pressure in the mix, with the exceptions of a few hollows every last spiritual pressure belonged to a Warlock and they were fighting each other.

"How can this be?" Vanity asked as they sensed several more spark up.

"All of them were supposed to wear a mind controlling necklace which would've made them carry out the mission" Lust began "they were supposed to be under the impression that it was just an amplifier!!!"

"This is impossible!!!" Maximilian hissed as he marched forward and felt even more Warlock Spiritual Pressures clash "unless!!!" the seven Warlocks turned to Alexander moments before his torso was engulfed in black energy and he seemed to be thrown backwards.

"That power!!!" Sloth said in shock as they tried to discover the source.

"Warlock Art: Screech of the Damned!!!" Alexander chanted before a vortex of black energy shot out from his left palm and struck his seven fellow council members who were too shocked to move in time, when the attack cleared there was nothing left of them.

"You're betraying me?!" Maximilian asked angrily as the energy around Alexander's chest disappeared and he landed softly before summoning his scythe "DOROTHY, WRATH!!!"

"His name is Alexander" Dorothy stated calmly as she appeared from the bushes wearing a black necklace with a dark red orb in the middle "how far you have fallen Maximilian."

"What did you say?!" Maximilian hissed.

"Maximilian have you honestly forgotten why I helped you become the chief of our clan?" Dorothy asked before stating "we had entrusted you to lead our clan with dignity and honor. But what did you do instead?!"

"I am not going to listen to the ramblings of a couple of traitors!!!" Maximilian said viciously as he summoned his axe and his spiritual pressure sky rocketed.

"_Damn it, his power is ridiculous"_ Alexander swore in his mind before saying "please Lord Maximilian, stop this madness."

"This is not MADNESS" Maximilian shouted as he leapt towards Alexander and swung his axe in a downward spiral, to his surprise both his arms were engulfed in black energy and it stopped him mid swing.

Before he knew it Dorothy was standing between Alexander and Maximilian, she looked into Maximilian's eyes with pure hatred before saying "don't you ever, EVER aim your weapon at my son again!!!"

"Damn it" Maximilian swore as Dorothy held out her right hand and a sphere of black energy began to spin violently in her palm before she slammed it into his chest sending him flying back several yards "that dark energy that necklace of yours produces is as potent as ever.." he spat on the ground as he stood back up "so you intend to kill me Dorothy?"

"The only reason you're not dead already is because Alex, would like to attempt talking sense into you" Dorothy said bluntly "otherwise I'd have ripped your organs out with that last attack!!!" her marks began to glow darkly as her face contorted with murderous intent.

"How pathetic" Maximilian said "but this is hardly the place for me to kill the last two blood descendants of Morgan Dark-Heart" suddenly the three Warlocks were surrounded in a black dome.

"Teleportation?!" Dorothy stated before it cleared revealing them to be in Maximilian's throne room, she turned to see Alexander take his stance but was shaking like mad "Alex please stand back and leave him to me!!!"

"But mother!!!" Alexander tried to argue but was silenced by Dorothy's hand over his mouth.

"When you have kids of your own, you'll understand" she said softly just before Maximilian appeared right behind them and swung horizontally.

Dorothy raised her right arm as the black energy gathered into a small round shield on her wrist deflecting the axe; she immediately spun around and performed a left uppercut with the remaining energy focused into her fist sending him crashing into the ceiling before falling to the ground where she immediately slammed him again and again with two fists full of energy before throwing him into the wall.

"Mother" Alexander said in amazement as Maximilian stood back up, despite all the hits he took his body only seemed to have a few minor scrapes _"why can't I move!!!"_

"_Come on Alex, now is not the time to choke up because he's…"_ Kokuhyou began but was cut off.

"What are you after Maximilian?" Dorothy asked angrily.

"Destruction and Rebirth" Maximilian replied causing Dorothy to look at him in disgust "my plan is to destroy the world as we know it and then to rebuild it in my image!!!"

"You're saying you want to rule the world?!" Dorothy replied.

"I'm saying that I'll guide it properly!!!" Maximilian stated earning him nothing but a cold glare from Dorothy.

"This is for using my son!!!" Dorothy hissed as she focused all the energy into her right arm and it too the shape of curved blade stretching from her hand to her elbow, she leapt forward to attempt beheading Maximilian. Maximilian smiled evilly before he reached into robe and pulled out five dark soul crystals; they were immediately surrounded in black energy before Maximilian threw them sending them flying towards Dorothy.

Dorothy side stepped the crystals causing Maximilian to ask "are you sure you want to dodge those?" Dorothy's eyes popped open "if you do, he'll die" she turned to see them heading right for.

"ALEX!!!" Dorothy shouted before she teleported in front of her son and shoved him to the ground moments before the crystals blew five holes through her torso.

"MOTHER!!!" Alexander shouted as his eyes filled with tears.

"Thank God, you're okay" Dorothy said happily just before she felt Maximilian's axe slash her from behind "live long and well my son, I'm…very…proud" she said before her body went limp, Alexander could only cry as he watched her soul being absorbed by Maximilian's Devil's arm.

"Too predictable" Maximilian said smugly as her soul was absorbed.

"How could you just kill her like that?!" Alexander asked weakly "my mother…she used to admire you, she believed in the peace you spoke of…so much so that she risked her life and did everything in her power to make you chief of our clan!!!"

"That was the quality that made her so useful to my plans all those years ago" Maximilian replied "the blind admiration she used to hold for me, that and her abilities made her a great asset to my agenda" Alexander looked at him in shock "consider this your final lesson Prince Alexander Dark-Heart; Admiration is the state furthest away from understanding."

Maximilian was suddenly forced back by Alexander's spiritual pressure as it began rise sharply "don't you feel anything at all? After all she was…"

"I feel disappointed because she chose a traitor like you over me" Maximilian answered dryly "no matter…"

"You bastard!!!" Alexander hissed tears ran down his face and he lifted his scythe "I'll never forgive you!!!" he leapt towards the older man "MAXIMILIAN DARK-HEART!!!"

"Dark-Heart!?"Retsu said in shock "it can't be."

Maximilian blocked the blade of Alexander's scythe with the handle of his axe before asking "so the son thinks he can beat the **father**?" Alexander swung himself up ward using Maximilian's axe for support before performing a front flip in an attempt to bury his scythe in Maximilian's skull "at least you inherited some of my genes and not just your mothers" Maximilian said in amusement as he leapt back to avoid the scythe.

Alexander stretched his left arm and chanted "Warlock Art: Screech of the Damned!!!" before the attack fired he saw a black sphere appear around his left elbow, as his left hand started glowing the sphere glowed violently and disappeared turning his aim to the side missing Maximilian completely _"Damn it he shattered the bone in my left arm!!! This'll make wielding my scythe difficult!!!"_

"Let's see you fight with that arm boy" Maximilian said smugly.

"Bastard!" Alexander swore as he swung his scythe as hard as he could with his right arm forcing Maximilian back "you're mine!!!" he declared as he swung his scythe in for the kill.

Maximilian smirked before saying "guess again" Alexander could only watch as Maximilian swung his axe down, the blade sliced the top part of his scythe off just below the blade, he sensed Maximilian's amusement as he slammed the bottom of his axe grip into his son's stomach sending him crashing to a wall "not bad son, but not good enough."

"Damn it" Alexander swore as he stood back up and brushed his chin with his right fist after dropping his scythe's handle "I'm going to kill you, I swear it!!!"

"Tough talk boy" Maximilian replied "look at you!!! You're unarmed and your left arm is broken, you can't hope to beat me!!!"

"_Damn it"_ Alexander swore in his mind _"there's got to be a way for me to fight him…"_ Maximilian began to dash towards him _"…is this really as far as I go?"_

"_Don't give up"_ Kokuhyou's voice echoed in his mind before he was suddenly surrounded by darkness.

"What is this?" Alexander asked as he looked around but didn't see the familiar form of Kokuhyou anywhere, moments a woman with a large sword that Alexander had seen in a painting recently appeared "Morgan Dark-Heart?!"

"The fact that someone of my blood line is hearing this message must clearly indicate that the world is still a far cry from what I had hoped for it" Morgan began "so humans are still ignorant, still violent, and are still willing to kill for petty reasons? If you're really listening to this than I'd say there's a good chance that even the Warlock clan I worked so hard to create has fallen into depravity."

"_What the hell is this? Some kind of spiritual message she stored in the family blood line?" _ Alexander asked himself.

"You who have inherited my legacy, I have no idea of knowing if you have inherited my ideals or not" Morgan continued "regardless I wish to share with you a little family secret so that you might realize your true power!!!"

"What?!" Alexander asked as the scene shifted to the inside of a monastery he looked to his side to see a younger Morgan Dark-Heart breathing heavily as her hair turned jet black, her eyes changed to their demonic state, and black marks spread across her body. Moments later the doors burst open revealing a blonde haired shinigami with dark green eyes.

"What the hell is this?" the man asked as Morgan looked at him in confusion "those eyes, that's definitely not normal."

"Who the hell are you?" Morgan asked weakly.

"You can see me?" the shinigami asked and Morgan nodded before she lost blacked out and the shinigami caught her "this should be interesting."

"_The identity of her husband remains unknown to this day" _Alexander thought before saying "don't tell me…my ancestral father was a…"

"A shinigami yes" Morgan's voice filled the air as the shinigami started checking Morgan's vitals "when I awakened my powers it was he who helped me understand what happened to me, over time we fell in love and we had two boys" suddenly the scene turned back to the Darkness and he was eye to eye with his ancestral mother "however I had concerns that my boys' descendants would one day become twisted and I feared that if they had inherited powers from both sides of the family they'd be too much for anyone to handle, so I sealed their shinigami powers as soon as they were born."

"Sealed?" Alexander asked before he suddenly realized something "that girl!!!"

"So you understand" Morgan stated as she disappeared and Kokuhyou appeared.

"So that's why I was having so much trouble getting in touch with you, your ancestral mother tried to seal my ass from the grave" Kokuhyou said in amusement "but now that it's gone let's try this again" she cleared her throat before shouting "MY NAME IS…"

"Nothing" Alexander replied.

"Damn" Kokuhyou swore lightly as the handle of a katana appeared in front of Alexander "please tell me you can at least see that."

"Yes" Alexander answered.

"Well that's a start" Kokuhyou sighed "hopefully next time we meet, you'll be able to hear my name."

"Thank you" Alexander said as he gripped the blade with his right hand and he woke up to see his father swinging his axe down on him, Alexander raised his right hand as the sword appeared in his grip and blocked the axe.

"What the hell?" Maximilian asked in disbelief.

"How ironic, the Prince of a clan that despised the shinigami was saved because he had the blood of a shinigami coursing through his veins" Retsu said solemnly.

"Good bye father" Alexander said as he swung upwards throwing Maximilian off balance before he swung the blade diagonally leaving a large cut on his chest.

"And that was when I killed my father…" the older Alexander stated.

The younger Alexander sheathed his sword in the sheath that had materialized just above his left leg as he made his way over to Dorothy's body he started crying heavily before he turned to see Maximilian's axe lying on the ground.

Alexander was about to draw his newly acquired Zanpakutou when he heard Maximilian whisper "Warlock Art: Wraith Strike!!!"

Suddenly a large black mass of energy shot from Maximilian's body and struck Alexander in the upper body "and that was when I died" the older Alexander said weakly as Retsu felt a tear roll down her cheek.

When Alexander woke up he realized he could move his left arm again but he also noticed that he had a chain attached to his chest and he saw his own body lying twenty feet away from him.

"_I died" _Alexander thought weakly as he stood up _"the Axe!!!"_ he turned to see that it was gone, he clenched his fist in rage "so that's how it father?" he could here the links slowly eating away at each other as he felt the links on his chain begin to eat each other as he drew his Zanpakutou and held the bottom of the handle to his forehead before sighing "I hope I was able to at least make amends in the end" he pressed the bottom of the handle down on his forehead and his body began to fade "I hope my comrades succeeded" he said hopefully as he thought about the many Warlocks who aided him in his rebellion.

"Ever since that day I have yet to encounter any surviving members of my clan, since Washington wasn't wiped off the map I can surmise that they succeeded in stopping my father's men, but it would seem that the two sides ultimately killed each other and any survivors ultimately died out…to my knowledge I'm the last of my clan" the older Alexander said solemnly as the scene began to change.

Retsu was surprised to be standing in the middle of a modest home covered in with a small circular table, a window with white drapes, and several white outfits. But what surprised her the most was that Alexander wasn't there; there was only a young woman who Retsu recognized from her last mission; she appeared to be in her early twenties, she had silky snow-white hair that stretched all the way down to her waist, her eyes were the same color as her hair, and she wore a whit robe which covered her body with a red section over the chest with a golden cross in the center. But what truly caught Retsu's eye was the Zanpakutou with a blue and white handle with a stubby cross shaped guard.

"Esther, we've got a disturbance, we could really use your help" a male voice called out.

"I'm coming" Esther replied as Retsu heard her think _"let's go Nehan."_

Author's Note: And that's a wrap for chapter fourteen, this chapter ended up being a lot longer than I had anticipated, but I got it done. Next chapter you get to learn about Nehan's original owner and how she and Alexander came to know each other (it get's a little violent and crazy), hopefully it shouldn't take me so long for the next update, in the mean time leave a review and if you haven't visited my profile and voted in my poll I highly recommend you do so because so far it's looking like a pretty one sided election, anyway stay tuned for **Ch. 15 The Saint**.


	15. The Saint

Author's notes: Sorry this took so long, it ended up being a lot longer than I had originally intended (this happens to me a lot).

Anyway please Read and Review

If you think I own Bleach or Devil May Cry then you're even crazier than I am

**Ch. 15 The Saint**

"In life I was but a lowly Sinner who only knew how to fight and kill people" the older Alexander said solemnly "and during the time I lived in the Zaraki district after I came to the soul society…"

A pair of men wearing tattered blood stained clothes with messy brown hair were standing over the corpses of a man and a woman as they each held jagged sword with blood dripping from the blades in the middle of the streets of rundown neighborhood, the shacks all looked as if they were on the verge of collapse, and the sun was just beginning to rise to the east.

"What a pity" the first one sighed and his friend nodded.

"What the hell happened here?" Alexander asked as he walked up to them and looked at the bodies; he looked a little older than he had when he died, his face was a little leaner and he had some facial hair on his cheeks, his hair now hung loosely about halfway down his chest, his skin was considerably darker most likely due to his increased exposure to sunlight, all in all he had the appearance of a shabby eighteen year old boy. He wore a black shirt, black pants, and a tattered red jacket. Kokuhyou was sheathed around the left side of his waist while his devil's arm was resting on his back.

"Nothing much" the second thug shrugged "we just wanted to chat with them; sadly they didn't have much money or any valuables. So who are you?"

"No one worth mentioning, just a mercenary" Alexander answered.

"Say that scythe and katana look kind of valuable, why don't you hand them over to us?" the first one asked as he readied his sword.

"Unless you plan to use them" the second added.

"Please" Alexander said dryly as the marks covered his body, before the thugs could react he appeared right in front of both of them and pierced their hearts with his clawed fingers "you're not worth using my weapons on."

"…that part remained mostly unchanged, the good news is I was now much more selective about **who** I was killing" the older Alexander finished.

"_Well that is an improvement I suppose" _Retsu thought as she shrugged her shoulders.

The younger Alexander turned his attention towards the dead bodies _"I guess I should give them a proper burial…"_ suddenly a loud cry came from the female body catching Alexander's attention _"…don't tell me!!!"_ he turned the woman's body over to reveal a crying infant "oh not cool" he tried to find a pulse on the mother "please be alive damn it!!!" he swore but felt nothing, he then checked the father but felt nothing. "Oh shit!!!" he swore loudly before he picked up the infant _"there's no way in Hell she'll live if I just leave her out here and there's no way I can trust her to any of the animals from this town" _he started to cradle her gently before saying "it's alright, no one's going to hurt you" softly as the child began to calm down and fall asleep, Alexander sighed heavily.

The scene shifted to the top of a hill outside of town where to freshly dug graves lay side by side, each with a simple stone slab to mark them and the noon sun bathed the scene with light. Alexander was catching his breath as he dusted his clothes off before putting on his jacket and picking up the baby girl.

"I'm sorry little one" he began and she looked at him curiously "I couldn't save your parents" memories of Dorothy flashed in front of Alexander as he spoke and a tear rolled down his cheek "but I'll do all I can for you, because for better or worse you've ended up with me…" he stopped talking as the child smiled before she started pulling on his long hair, he was surprised by her strength despite her small hands "…okay stop that…oh that's right I never had the chance to ask them your name" she looked at him curiously again "very well then, your name will be…Elaina…Elaina Dark-Heart. Do you like it?" Elaina giggled happily _"Elaina I don't know what kind of life a Devil like me can hope to give you…" _she fell asleep in his arms _"…but I promise I'll do all I can to give you a better father than I had."_

The scene blackened before it cleared to reveal Alexander sitting in front of an outdoor restaurant he had the same outfit but appeared to be in his early twenties, he still had Kokuhyou stored in her sheath in his waist just above his left leg while his scythe was nowhere to be found, and his face was now covered in facial hair. Retsu followed his line of vision to see a small girl with the same outfit as him; she had dark skin, golden eyes, and shoulder length brown hair playing soccer in the streets with several other children.

"I can tell you guys aren't from around here" the shop keep said curiously "what brings you all to this satellite if you don't mind my asking?"

"I'm a mercenary, I was hired to escort a supply shipment through the woods from bandits and highwaymen" Alexander answered.

"And the girl?" he asked.

"I adopted her from Rukongai when her parents were killed, they died before I could ask them her name so I raised her as my own" Alexander explained and the man nodded.

"Elaina catch" a boy called out as he passed the ball.

"Got it" Elaina stated before kicking it as hard as she could sending it soaring towards the goal "oh crap" she said weakly as she saw it shine like a star from the top of a giant Christmas tree before it literally shot through their improvised goal and struck a woman wearing a white robe in the head.

"Owe" Esther cried as she rubbed the bump on her head from the impact_ "Good Lord what was that?"_ she then looked to the smoking ball on the ground.

"I'm sorry ma'am, are you alright?" Elaina asked in concern.

"Was that you little one?" Esther asked as she turned to her _"such power…"_

"That does it, I need to teach you how to control spirit energy" Alexander said as he suddenly appeared between Esther and Elaina before thinking _"that kick had a large amount of spirit energy behind it; considering the fact that she's still conscious, not to mention her unnatural hair and eye color, there's no way she's a normal person. Better make sure she isn't hostile"_ he extended a helping hand "I'm sorry about that, my daughter doesn't know her own strength" he took a good look at her robes before thinking _"what the hell is up with this outfit?"_

"It's not a problem" Esther replied as he helped her up.

"_My Lady, look at his waist!!!"_ Nehan said urgently.

"_Alex you dumb ass, look at her freaking waist!!!"_ Kokuhyou said crudely.

"A Zanpakutou?!" Alexander and Esther said in sync.

"And this is how me and Nehan's rightful owner, Esther first crossed paths" the older Alexander narrated.

"_Look at it!!!" _Kokuhyou hissed as the two took a few steps away from each other _"look at that white and blue handle!!! I can tell that it's not the type of personality that I can get along with!!!"_

"_My lady be careful, if that sword of his is any indication; this man could very well be the darkest soul we will __**ever**__ come across" _Nehan warned her.

"So, you have a Zanpakutou as well" Alexander stated as he ushered Elaina back and the two began to circle each other as they focused their gazes on one another "do you have shinigami ancestor?"

"My mother was a shinigami" Esther said coldly before looking into his eyes as she gripped her Zanpakutou with her left hand and said "I've seen eyes like yours before."

"Excuse me?" Alexander asked.

"I can tell just by looking in your eyes" Esther replied as she drew her sword and held it in her right hand "you've got the eyes of someone's who has a lot of innocent blood on his hands."

"You're right…I've killed a hell of a lot of people, most of them did not deserve to die" Alexander sighed as he gripped Kokuhyou with his right hand and Esther took a sideways stance with her left side foreword "please sheath your sword; I don't want to add to my sins any further if I can avoid it."

"Don't worry, I won't give you the chance" Esther stated coldly as her spiritual pressure began to flare violently.

"Damn it" Alexander swore _"she's very strong."_

"DAD WE'RE SURROUNDED" Elaina shouted.

"What?!" Esther asked as she looked around to see several hollows flying over head and the civilians began to run away in panic.

"This satellite doesn't pay taxes to the Seireitei so there aren't any shinigami around" Alexander sighed as he drew Kokuhyou "If I were a betting man I'd say Elaina's little soccer mishap and your over reactive spiritual pressure drew them here!"

"Impudent" Esther hissed softly before her eyes popped open as black marks spread across the visible sections of his skin and his eyes changed to their demonic state, moments later he vanished in a surge of black energy "what **is** he?!" suddenly she heard two loud cries fill the air drawing attention to the sky above her where she saw him hovering next to a pair of hollows with blood shooting out of their faces.

A third hollow roared loudly as it flew towards the falling Warlock from his left before opening its jaw widely "sorry pal" Alexander said in an amused tone before shoving his hand into the hollows face, shattering the mask instantly "but you're not the only one with fangs and claws!!!" he looked to his side after he landed to see Esther being surrounded by three hollows _"let's see what you can do babe."_

"Path of the Saint: Light of Redemption" Esther chanted as a shining white orb formed in her left hand, one of the hollows charged her from the right only to be stabbed through the forehead by the blade of her katana, a second hollow lunged towards her from the left while her blade was still stuck in the first hollow's skull, Esther slammed the orb in her right hand into the hollow's skull before saying "how predictable" the hollow's body immediately turned completely white before silently fading into nothingness.

The last hollow tried to drop down on Esther and bite her head off but was stopped mid way when a shining ball of energy shot through its head before falling to the ground to reveal itself as just a regular ball, Esther raised an eyebrow as she heard Elaina ask "how was that dad?"

"That was very good" Alexander stated as he knelt down to Elaina and patted her on the head "the point of your upcoming lessons won't be to teach you how to use your powers so much as to teach you how to **not** use them unintentionally, you understand?"

"Sure" Elaina replied as they were suddenly surrounded by several additional hollows.

"I'm proud of you" Alexander said happily as he stood back up and pulled her towards him "don't move for a sec alright?" suddenly the hollows all swarmed them as Alexander chanted "Warlock Art: Storm of the Damned Ravens."

"So that's what he is" Esther said softly as the sound of psychotic laughter filled the air and the hollows were all repelled by countless bird shaped shadows with blood red eyes before being torn to shreds revealing Alexander holding Elaina with his left arm and covering her eyes with his hand.

"You know you don't have to cover my eyes dad" Elaina sighed "I'm well aware of what you've had to do since I was a little girl."

"I know" Alexander chuckled _"but I'd like to spare you as much grief as I can"_ Alexander then raised his blade to counter Esther's sword "Elaina, get out of here now" he commanded and she ran away before he turned to Esther and asked "what the Hell is wrong with you?!" she didn't reply causing Alexander to shout "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE DOING?!" he swung his sword throwing her back a few yards "IF JUST YOUR SPIRITUAL PRESSURE DREW THOSE HOLLOWS, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN IF WE GO All OUT ON EACH OTHER?!"

Esther looked at Alexander's eyes and the marks over his body before saying "so you're from a tribe as well, let me guess your people have a spiritual affinity for the Darkness, don't they?"

"And I guess yours have an affinity for the light" Alexander stated "but that's not the point here, by attacking me you're needlessly endangering the lives of innocent people!!! So I am begging you put away your sword!!!"

"_Two people who's tribes are polar opposite of one another, each has a Zanpakutou due to the shinigami blood in their veins"_ Retsu thought as she watched them lung at each other and lock blades once more _"but how did Alexander end up with both swords? Did he do something to this Esther woman?" _Suddenly she remembered how Alexander had reacted to seeing Selene take Esther's appearance despite being so badly injured.

"_Y…yo…you bitch!!!" Alexander spat "how DARE you defile her memory by taking that form!!!" _

"_No there has to be more to this story than that"_ Retsu thought.

"For someone who says he doesn't want to fight you sure are going all out on the offensive" Esther said coldly "actions speak louder than words demon."

"Alexander Dark-Heart of the Warlock clan" Alexander sighed.

"Why are you telling me your name?" Esther asked.

"It's a courtesy, my eyes allow me to read someone's simple thought processes and I can tell that you're overflowing with killing intent" Alexander explained solemnly "which means that you likely won't surrender and I'll be forced to kill you. So you should at least know the name of the man who killed you."

Esther chuckled before saying "my people don't have last names…but my given name is Esther and my Tribe is called The Saints, and as you suspected we carry an affinity for the light."

"How hypocritical" Alexander sighed "you call yourself 'Saints' yet here you are starting unnecessary fights and endangering innocent people, that's not very 'Saint' like, at the very least you should try to end this fight as fast as possible so everyone else will be out of danger."

Esther smiled as she leapt towards Alexander and swung her blade down, Alexander blocked it with his own sword just before Esther began to chant "Light, Dash across creation and obliterate the wicked…"

"Damn it" Alexander swore as the blade of her katana began to glow.

"…NEHAN!!!" Esther finished as the handle rounded out and turned dark blue, the guard took the shape of blue oval and a pair of angel wings formed on the side, and the blade changed from a katana to a long sword.

"_AH SON OF A…" _Kokuhyou shouted in pain as Nehan began to cut into her blade.

"_Not good"_ Alexander thought as he leapt back to avoid losing his blade _"so this is the power of a shikai?!"_ suddenly he noticed that Esther's lips were moving _"oh no…"_

"Meimeikanshiki" Esther finished firing a concentrated blast of light towards Alexander hitting him in the left shoulder and rendering his left arm useless.

"Damn it" Alexander swore as directed his right palm towards Esther before chanting "Warlock Art: Screech of the Damned!!!" sending a swirling vortex of black energy towards Esther as a loud screech filled the air.

"Protect Nehan" Esther chanted creating a shield which blocked the attack _"so this 'Warlock' hasn't obtained his shikai, and to top it all off his left arm is broken"_ after his attack disappeared her left hand began to glow with an intense white light before she pointed it at the panting Alexander and chanted "Path of the Saint: Plain of Purgatory" suddenly a large dome of white light formed around Alexander.

"DAD" Elaina shouted as she came out of hiding and ran towards the dome before Esther stopped her with her left arm "let me go you bitch, I've got to help my dad!" tears began to pour from her eyes.

"A little girl like you shouldn't use such vulgar language" Esther said coldly "as for him, he's finished."

"I said let me go!!!" Elaina hissed as she struggled to break free but to no avail "why did you do that to him?"

"Because he was a demon" Esther answered "I could tell just by looking at his eyes, he didn't even try to run from it" she sighed "he had a lot of innocent blood on his hands."

"So you did that without even asking him about it?!" Elaina asked in disgust "you don't know anything about him!"

"I'm sorry child but I doubt you could understand" Esther sighed.

"I was wrong about you" Elaina stated "I helped you because your laid back response to my soccer ball reminded me of my dad…" Esther raised an eyebrow "…I should've let the hollow bite your head off."

"_I reminded her of the demon?"_ Esther thought _"such a strange child."_

*With Alexander*

"Damn it" Alexander swore as he saw sections of his coat towards the bottom begin to fade into nothingness, he looked around to see nothing but white _"so this space is created by overloading an area with light type spirit energy…"_

"_ALEX!!!! You better have a plan, because if we die in here I'll ring your damn neck!!!" _Kokuhyou threatened.

"_I do, but it's dangerous"_ Alexander replied _"please listen closely…"_

"_I see" _Kokuhyou replied _"I guess we have no choice, oh well if this works you just might be able to hear my name…provided you listen to what I say." _

"Sounds good" Alexander replied as he held his sword up to his face with his right hand while his left arm just hung limply before he was surrounded by a black aura.

*Back with Esther and Elaina*

"This is taking much longer than I suspected, he should be dead by now" Esther stated.

"He won't die" Elaina said quietly "just watch, he'll bust out and kick your ass!"

Esther was about to scold Elaina for her language when she suddenly felt a strong presence from within the dome before it began to fluctuate "what in Heaven's name?" she asked before it collapsed and what appeared to be a pillar of black energy shot into the air with Alexander standing in the middle at the bottom.

"_Good work, Alexander…"_ Kokuhyou said proudly _"…now listen closely and do what I say and this time you should be able to hear it."_

"I understand" Alexander replied.

"_Very well…now ADVANCE!!!"_ Kokuhyou ordered.

Alexander immediately dashed towards Esther _"he's fast"_ Esther thought as she raised her sword just in time to block a downward swing by Alexander _"where's this power coming from?!" _it took all the power in her body to stop the attack _"and his blade isn't being cut by Nehan, what is going on here?!" _ Her eyes popped open as she saw Alexander extend his right index and middle finger.

"Warlock Art: Crushing Void" Alexander chanted as a black orb appeared on Esther's left forearm, seconds later it exploded in violet light and she let go of Elaina.

"_NOW THROW HER!!!"_ Kokuhyou shouted before Alexander swung her horizontally and threw Esther back about fifteen yards.

"Elaina, are you alright?" Alexander asked and Elaina nodded "good" he turned to Esther as his aura seemed to intensify as she took her stance but her left arm just hanged limply "how do you like having **your** arm broken? Hurt's doesn't it?"

"_Very good now CHARGE!!!" _Kokuhyou commanded and Alexander dashed towards Esther as he raised his sword over his left shoulder "now recite an incantation worthy of my power…"

"Darkness…" Alexander began and Esther's eyes opened in fear.

"_Don't tell me he's…"_ Esther thought.

"…Spread across the universe and consume all evil…" Alexander continued as he swung his sword and Esther locked blades with him, Esther knew she was in trouble when the blade began to glow black.

"…_NOW SHOUT OUT MY NAME…"_ Kokuhyou yelled with so much vigor that her hair flew in front of her face.

"…KOKUHYOU!!!" Alexander finished before his blade changed from a black katana to a black long sword, with a two pronged guard with a demonic eye in the middle.

"_My lady, please be careful, that weapon is incredibly vicious!!!" _Nehan warned as Esther began to leap backwards and chant.

"_Oh Hell yes" _Kokuhyou said happily _"hey Alex, I've got something for you that I think you'll like…"_

"Let's do it Kokuhyou" Alexander replied as he heard Kokuhyou begin to whisper into his ear "I call upon the deepest darkest shadows of hell, gather before me and strike my enemies…"

"Meimeikanshiki" Esther chanted.

"Kurohari" Alexander chanted as countless black spears and a blast of white light collided in between the two warriors, the attacks seemed to meld together before they both dissipated.

"What was that?" Esther asked dumbfounded.

"_Watch out!!!"_ Nehan cried as Alexander appeared in front of them in a surge of black energy and stabbed his blade forward; Esther screamed in pain as the blade cut into her left cheek and she fell to the ground, the pain was so intense that she dropped Nehan.

"How…did…you do that? It was…only a small cut" Esther asked as Alexander pinned her right arm to the ground with one foot to ensure that she wouldn't be able to grab Nehan.

"The released form of my Zanpakutou is able to make anyone it cuts experience excruciating pain depending on how much darkness lies within their souls" Alexander explained causing Esther to open her mouth "just so you know ALL souls have darkness within in them even you so called 'Saints' are no exception."

"How did you break free from my dome? And what happened with our last attacks?" Esther asked in confusion.

"Isn't it obvious?" Alexander asked and Esther glared at him "your attacks carry an affinity for the light, while mine have an affinity for the darkness. Most people believe that light and darkness are like water and oil but in all honesty that couldn't be further from the truth" Esther raised an eyebrow "light and darkness are actually two halves of the same whole, you can't have one without the other; the darkness needs the light and the light needs the darkness. Our techniques work by upsetting the balance between the two in our surroundings and manipulating the energy created in the process to attack our enemies or to perform some other skill. When I was stuck in that dome I simply concentrated on releasing large amounts of my dark spirit injury which restored the balance in the area surrounding me and canceled out your technique, and when our last two attacks collided they balanced each other out which is why neither of us was killed in some sort of resulting explosion."

Esther was silent for a moment before saying "kill me" as her hair turned jet black and her eyes changed from snow white to dark grey.

"_So the light affinity affects the person's appearance as well…" _Alexander thought as he sighed heavily before saying "no" causing Esther's eyes to pop open.

"WHAT?!" Esther, Elaina, and Kokuhyou all shouted.

"There's no need" Alexander answered before he took his foot off of Esther's arm as Kokuhyou returned to her sealed state and he sheathed her "judging by how your appearance has changed you've run out of spirit energy, in other words you're not a threat anymore" Esther looked at him in confusion as she stood back up and began nursing her left arm and his marks disappeared, his eyes returned to normal, and his hair began to change color "when a battle is over, the winner or winners get to decide the fate of the losers. You may think that I'm mocking you, but the truth is that I'm letting you live because I simply don't wish to shed anymore innocent blood; though you came at me with the intent to kill I can tell that you only did it because you felt I was a murderer who was plotting to start killing civilians indiscriminately…" Esther could only look at him in amazement as he began to walk away, his light colored hair waving in the breeze over his back "…just promise me you'll try to do a little more investigative work from here on out before you decide to pull that sword on someone, alright?"

"And that was the beginning of my relationship with Nehan's former owner" the older Alexander chuckled.

"_How ironic"_ Retsu thought in amusement as she looked at the two young people _"normally they both look like the embodiment of their tribes' affinities, but when they run out of spirit energy the both seem to embody the other's affinity."_

"What are you planning to do now?" Esther asked.

"I don't know about you toots, but I plan to see if I can find someone to fix my arm" Alexander said as he turned to her to reveal he was nursing his left arm with his right hand, she didn't know if it was due to the fight they were having but he now seemed to have an expression of incredible pain across his face "you wouldn't happen to know of a good doctor I could see would you?"

Esther was speechless as she heard a familiar voice call out happily "I think I can help you there young man."

"Father" Esther said in surprise as he and several others appeared wearing the same white robes as her.

"_Did she say father?"_ Alexander thought as he struggled to fight back a laugh at the site of the five foot tall pudgy man with white hair and eyes before he said "please tell me you guys aren't here to kill me."

"That wouldn't be right" the man said pleasantly "after all you let my daughter live, even though she just tried to kill you…" Elaina stood behind Alexander "…least we can do is fix your arm."

"Sounds good, I'm grateful" Alexander replied as he made his way towards them.

"Dad, are you sure?" Elaina whispered.

"If they were planning to kill me they wouldn't need to talk to me, I'm powerless after all" Alexander answered before asking "what is your name sir?"

"My name is Anthony" he said happily as he gestured for Alexander to take a seat on the ground and one of his men came up and suddenly engulfed Alexander's left arm in a bright light, he smiled as he saw the same being done to Esther "you must be very strong to force Esther into exhausting her spirit energy."

"In all fairness sir; she almost tore me to pieces" Alexander sighed as he felt the pain beginning to leave his left arm and he found that he could move his fingers again.

"What's your name son?" Anthony asked.

"Alexander Dark-Heart, you can just call me Alex, in life I was a member of the Warlock clan, but now I'm but a simple mercenary" Alexander answered before Esther screamed in pain.

"Easy lady Esther" the man healing her said urgently as he tried to restrain her.

"What did you do to my arm?!" Esther asked as she winced in pain.

"Remember that orb that appeared over your arm before it broke?" Alexander asked and she nodded since she was gritting her teeth in pain "well it works by focusing a powerful gravitational force towards the focal point in the center from every direction; in other words the bone in your arm didn't snap so much as it collapsed and it likely did a number of your muscles as well."

Esther was speechless as her healer said "that pretty much sums it up."

"Moral of this story, don't touch other people's children without permission; payback's a bitch" Alexander stated with a chuckle and Elaina smirked.

"Why you son of a…" Esther began but was cut off.

"Now Esther, keep in mind that you **did **attack him first" Anthony said calmly "and your fight did draw more hollows to this satellite, needlessly endangering everyone in town."

"I'm guessing it was you guys who took care of them" Alexander said and Anthony nodded "I appreciate it" the light around his left arm disappeared, he stretched out his left arm and flexed his fingers "my arm feels great, thanks" he looked down at his tattered coat before sighing and thinking _"damn, I guess I need to stitch this up…"_

"You said you're a mercenary, Alex?" Anthony asked and Alexander nodded "how much do you charge?"

"_Father why are asking him this?" _Esther thought _"don't tell me you plan to…"_

"As long as you can pay me enough to keep me and Elaina here fed and clothed and you don't ask me to do anything too sketchy, my sword could be yours to use" Alexander answered _"no freaking way."_

"Watch your mouth!!!" Esther hissed "my father would never have any of us do anything amoral, let alone hiring a mercenary to…"

Alexander began to laugh hysterically before his voice cracked and he took a very solemn expression "I used to think the same thing about my father when I was alive…" Esther's expression changed from anger to confusion.

"I see so that explains that sadness I sensed when I looked into your eyes" Anthony interrupted "I've seen eyes like yours throughout the soul society; eyes filled with strength and compassion, but at the same time they're filled with sorrow. Only an extraordinary soul can possess such eyes."

"With all due respect, you give me too much credit" Alexander replied "why would you even consider hiring me in the first place?"

"We like to send out our people in groups of two" Anthony began "unfortunately we don't have anyone who's quite young or strong enough to keep up with Esther due to the shinigami powers she got from her mother, so I was thinking since you seem to be as strong as her…"

"You do realize I'm a Warlock right?" Alexander asked.

"But you're also a shinigami, just like Esther" Anthony said causing Alexander to raise an eyebrow "those with Zanpakutou are Shinigami are they not?"

"So you want me to join you 'Saints' and partner up with your daughter who just tried to murder me, just so you don't have to worry about her safety?" Alexander asked and Anthony nodded.

Esther sighed as she thought _"excellent, so he refuses."_

"Alright, I'll do it" Alexander said as he and Anthony shook hands.

"WHAT?!" Esther shouted causing the other Saints to look at her in fright and Alexander smirked widened.

"Why did you accept dad?" Elaina asked seemingly un-phased by Esther's response.

"Simple I need to work so we can eat, can't be choosy" Alexander answered and Elaina nodded "besides this is an excellent chance for me to piss Esther here off…" suddenly Alexander felt a left hook connect with his cheek and he fell to the ground.

"Is everything a game to you!?" Esther asked angrily.

"I see your arm's all better" Alexander stated as he stood back up "not a bad punch there…" he extended his hand and forced back a laugh before saying "…partner."

"_Okay that does it, the first chance I get I am going to tear this man limb from limb!!!" _Esther thought in rage as she looked at the grin on the Warlock's face.

"_This should be fun" _Alexander thought.

Retsu smirked as the scene went black and she heard the older Alexander's voice say "after that little…**introduction**, I became Esther's partner; we fought with each other constantly, but thankfully the swords stayed sheathed and the spells went un-muttered…"

"_That's a relief"_ Retsu thought as she forced back a chuckle of her own.

"…this continued for seven years, regrettably this rather happy chapter of my existence ultimately came to an end…" the older Alexander continued "…it all started with a mission to eliminate some bandits that were constantly attacking a small satellite that had been formed by some Americans a few years before I came to the Soul Society."

"Thank you for helping us young ladies" an old man dressed as a Catholic Priest said gratefully.

"It's our pleasure" Esther replied as she bowed respectfully, she still had the same hair and eyes as before but she now appeared to be in her late twenties as opposed to her early twenties. "Where's your father Elaina?" she asked as she turned to Elaina who now had the appearance of a thirteen year old girl.

"He's checking out the surrounding area to make sure there aren't any stragglers" Elaina answered as she wiped her face with a cloth "I just finished with some of the first aid, but I wish my dad would let me fight with you guys" she placed her hand on her own zanpakutou.

"_Like father, like daughter"_ Retsu thought in amusement.

"Thank you for treating our injured" The priest said "I thought we were going to lose them, but your healing powers saved them."

"You should be thanking Esther here, she's the one who taught me everything I know about healing arts" Elaina said plainly.

"Come on, you saved some lives take the damn credit" Alexander chuckled as he suddenly appeared in a surge of black energy.

"Alex you are going to give me a heart attack one of these days!!!" Esther hissed as she held her hand over her heart.

"And I'll be there to laugh my ass off when it happens" Alexander said crudely as the energy disappeared revealing that he too appeared to be in his late twenties, he was still wearing the same black outfit with a red jacket, but he was now clean shaven which gave him a cleaner appearance as opposed to his younger selves.

"You scum bag" Esther said as she rolled her eyes at the Warlock.

"You?!" the Priest said dumbfounded as he pointed at Alexander "what are you doing here?"

"You two know each other Alex?" Esther asked curiously.

Alexander's expression changed to complete shock when before he softly said "you're that priest…" memories of his first mission flashed through his vision "…that I killed…when I was alive…" Elaina, Esther, and the villagers all turned to the two men in shocked curiosity.

The two men were silent for several seconds before the priest asked "what happened to you back in the world of the living after you killed me?"

"I eliminated the other passengers on the train, after that me and my comrades stole all the money and valuables that were stored in the vault" Alexander began solemnly.

"How many more people did you kill after that night?" the Priest asked.

"Hundreds, thousands, I lost count" Alexander answered "thankfully I died four years after I killed you."

"What do you have to say for yourself?" the Priest asked sternly.

"What can be said?" Alexander asked in response "I killed you and countless other people who shouldn't have died, there is no excuse."

"I see" the Priest said softly "then I guess you'll just have to keep on living with the guilt until you can make amends" the gathered audience looked at him in shocked silence.

"I'm grateful, thank you father" Alexander replied with a courteous bow "I believe we have other satellites to visit before we head back" Elaina gave a respectful bow before following her father.

"I pity that man" the Priest sighed.

"Why did you just let him go?" Esther asked.

"I'm an old man, I'm no match for him, besides…" the Priest began "…I could see it in his eyes, he's not the same man he was when he killed me; there's no point in me beating him over the past when he's doing it to himself already."

"I see" Esther said solemnly "take care, father" she bowed respectfully before following after her partner.

The scene changed to Elaina and Esther sitting around a camp fire while Alexander was sitting by himself on the top branch of a nearby tree starring aimlessly u at the moon.

"I'm bushed" Elaina said as she yawned and stretched her limbs out "good night."

"See you in the morning" Esther replied as Elaina fell asleep and she turned to Alexander _"now's my chance to get some answers" _she leapt up to Alexander's tree branch.

"Can I help you?" Alexander asked without even turning to look at her.

"Who was that Priest?" Esther asked.

"Weren't you listening to us? He was a man I killed on my first mission when I thirteen back in the world of the living" Alexander sighed "he was one of the first innocent people I killed, regrettably he was far from the last" he looked up to the moon again and breathed deeply.

"Alex what happened to you when you were alive?" Esther asked softly "why were you on a mission that required you to kill people when you were only thirteen years old?"

"For you to understand you'll need to know a couple of things about my clan first" Alexander replied.

"I've got time" Esther stated.

Esther listened as Alexander told her the story of his clan's history and his own life right up to the day he died.

"Your own father used you as a child soldier?" Esther asked in astonishment.

"That's correct and my family literally ended up killing each other as a result" Alexander answered solemnly "all that death and destruction that I contributed to, truly unforgivable."

"But you saved not just an entire city but a whole country" Esther stated "who knows how many lives you saved?"

"That doesn't change the fact that I killed countless innocent people" Alexander retorted "and I couldn't even save my own mother, to make it worse she died protecting me."

Esther was silent for several seconds before saying "my mother died because of me to" Alexander looked at her curiously "she was a shinigami in the thirteen court guard squads assigned to maintain order in north Rukongai, that's where she met my father and the other Saints; she and my father eventually fell in love and she went M.I.A. Two years later…" Esther began to cry "…she died in child birth."

"I'm sorry Esther" Alexander said as he pulled her into a gentle hug with his left hand "just let it all out."

A few minutes later Esther was sitting in front of the fire, she sighed as she thought _"and I was supposed to be the one comforting him…and that happened."_

Retsu chuckled as the scene turned black before revealing Alexander, Esther, and Elaina walking up what appeared to be a large Cathedral. They opened a few doors to reveal a large meeting room with dozens of men and women dressed in the same white robes as Esther sitting around a round table which was about twelve feet in diameter.

"Glad to see you've arrived Esther, Alexander, Elaina" Anthony said pleasantly.

"Thank you father" Esther said politely before bowing.

"Same to you" Alexander replied as Esther took her own seat at the round table and they headed for some nearby bleachers where even more Saints were sitting quietly.

"I hope we're not here too long" Elaina sighed "these gatherings can be so boring" a few Saints looked at her in disapproval.

"So what do you all have to report from your latest expeditions?" Anthony asked "Esther would you like to start?"

"We succeeded in our missions throughout the satellites to the east; regrettably it'll take more than the three of us to stabilize the region…" Esther began before she was cut off by a loud voice.

"I'm disappointed in you Esther, I thought with three members your team should be able to handle your job" a middle aged Saint with short white hair which didn't even pass his chin interrupted "it must be due to those impurities…"

"With all due respect Uncle Jacob" Esther stated calmly "I doubt that you've been able to stabilize the Southern Satellites."

"I'm so proud of that woman" Alexander said quietly to a nearby Saint as he pretend to brush a tear away from his eye and the Saint looked at him as if he was completely insane.

"Why you little!!!" Jacob hissed but was stopped when a black sword blade was pressed against his throat.

"Easy there" Alexander said calmly "need I remind you that this 'impurity' is being paid to make sure no one hurts your niece there, and if that means that I have to slit your throat or strangle you with your own intestines, so be it" almost everyone was looking at him in terror "hey I may not be a Saint but me and my girl need to eat."

"While I appreciate your dedication to your job Alexander" Anthony stated just as calmly "I think you can put your sword away" Alexander shrugged as he sheathed his blade "I would also appreciate it if you'd refrain from any further outbursts Jacob."

"My apologies older brother" Jacob said with a hint of malice as he sat back down and Alexander leapt back and landed in his seat with a wide grin on his face.

"Jacob, the younger brother of the leader of the Saints and Esther's Uncle…" the older Alexander's voice began as Retsu raised an eyebrow in suspicion "…unlike his brother Anthony, Jacob felt that **only** Saints had the answers to saving the Satellites along with the many poor citizens of Rukongai, and that **anyone** else had no business working with the Saints; in other words he didn't think too highly of his brother for bringing me and Elaina into their cause of eliminating violence and chaos in the Soul Society and probably even less of Esther for working with us. In the small world of Saint Politics that existed at that time, he held some rather…**extreme** positions and philosophies."

The Saints continued to report on their progress and the general situations throughout their various Satellites and certain sections of Rukongai, but the stories were more or less the same; no matter how many successful missions they had, they couldn't address the issues of mass poverty and ensuing violence.

"So in other words we're still unable to stabilize the Soul Society?" Anthony asked and everyone nodded as an awkward silence filled the room "any suggestions?"

"I feel that it may be in our best interest to see if we can enlist any help from the Seireitei" Esther said calmly "We clearly can't hope to make any real progress on our own, and most mercenaries aren't as cheap or as restrained as Alex and Elaina I'm afraid."

"You make a valid point" Anthony stated "any other thoughts or objections?"

"I must protest" Jacob began and his brother nodded "these mercenaries are bad enough, but there's absolutely no way we can lower ourselves to seeking help from those corrupt denizens of the Seireitei."

"In all fairness Uncle, not all Shinigami are corrupt" Esther replied "and I feel that it's been made abundantly clear that we can't stabilize the Satellites and some of the worst sections of Rukongai on our own."

The arguments for and against talking to the Seireitei continued for several hours judging by the fact that there wasn't any sunlight pouring through the windows. Many of the people sitting in the benches including Alexander and Elaina had fallen asleep.

"We shouldn't be working with the shinigami; we should be wiping them off the map!!!" Jacob half shouted and most of the Saints appeared to concur "hording almost all the wealth within the Seireitei, they deserve to be ANNIHILATED!!!"

"Enough!!!" Anthony stated loudly and everyone quitted down "we'll pick this conversation up tomorrow, in meantime everyone is dismissed…" everyone rose from their seats, Alexander and Elaina turned to him when he said "…Jacob, we need to talk!!!" the brothers eyed each other fiercely.

"Let's get the hell out of here" Alexander whispered and Esther nodded as they headed for the mess hall and they could see that Jacob and Anthony were arguing with one another.

"What do you think?" Esther asked as they took their seats "about the behavior of my father and the other Saints?"

"Well the good news is that your father seems to have his head on straight, as long as he's calling the shots I can't see anything bad happening, however…" Alexander began to explain and Esther looked at him curiously.

"…You're Uncle is a genocidal maniac" Elaina finished as she gestured to a number of Saints who were looking at the three of them darkly and Alexander nodded "and to make it worse he seems to have quite a following."

"Do you think he'll try anything?" Esther asked.

"I'd say your father considers it to be a possibility" Alexander answered "of course whether or not he does anything beyond expressing his own opinion depends on how far he's taken his beliefs."

"In other words if he hasn't confused himself with a God, then there's nothing to worry about" Elaina added "but if he has…"

"That's enough Elaina" Alexander stated as Esther seemed on the brink of tears.

"What do you think of my plans Alex?" Esther inquired.

"I have mixed feelings when it comes to Shinigami" Alexander sighed "after all it was the Shinigami that effectively enslaved my people for one hundred years and then spent the next hundred years annihilating us to the point of extinction" Esther looked at him in concern "but at the same time it was because my ancestral father was a shinigami that I was able to defeat my father and what happened to my clan was several centuries ago; and you weren't mistaken when you said that with our forces alone aren't enough to stabilize the regions in question…" Esther looked at her with a hopeful expression "…so if I were leading my clan in this situation, I would most likely take the details under advisement, but ultimately I would seek help from the Seireitei."

"Thanks Alex" Esther replied.

"_I hope this doesn't turn ugly"_ Esther and Alexander thought in sync.

"It did…" the older Alexander's voice echoed as the scene went black "…fast" it cleared to reveal Alexander standing over Esther who was lying in her bed eyes wide open as she looked at her partner who had the blade of his sword sticking out of a Saint's chest who was holding a pearled dagger in one hand.

"Look out!!!" Esther said in panic as another Saint appeared behind Alexander with his hand glowing brightly just before Elaina kicked him in the face and his neck snapped "what is going on here?" Esther asked as she stood up and looked around to see several bodies lying on the floor.

"I think your uncle has confused himself with a God" Elaina answered.

"They attacked us in the middle of the night while everyone was sleeping" Alexander said darkly "this reeks of a Ku" suddenly they felt two strong spiritual pressures.

"Father, Uncle Jacob" Esther said weakly.

"Hurry we have to go!!!" Alexander ordered as he yanked on Esther's arm and the three of them made their way towards the council chambers.

"Father…" Esther said in terror as she felt his spiritual pressure fade when they were about half way there.

"Damn it" Alexander swore, moments later they busted open the double doors to see Anthony lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood "We're too late."

"FATHER" Esther shouted as she ran towards him and tried to heal his wounds "please open your eyes!!!"

"Es…Esther" Anthony said weakly as his eyes opened slightly "is that you?"

"Yes, listen it'll be okay" Esther said happily as tears ran down her face and Elaina began to try and stabilize him.

"We can't stabilize him" Elaina whispered to her father.

"Listen closely my child" Anthony said weakly "I tried to convince your Uncle to abandon his genocidal agenda but he's insists on carrying it through."

"Don't speak father, we'll stop him as soon as we stabilize you" Esther said desperately "we'll hunt Uncle Jacob down together."

"My child I think we both know that's not going to happen" Anthony chuckled and Esther's eyes popped open.

"Sir what is Jacob plotting, even if he had a hundred percent support from your clan there's simply no way a few dozen Saints could ever hope to defeat the shinigami?" Alexander asked.

"He's built a strange canon like device in the mountains to the south…" Anthony stated as he coughed up blood "…this device is designed to amplify their spirit energy and fire a round through the seki-seki barrier around the Seireitei and create an enhanced Plain of Purgatory."

"That dome technique that Esther used on me?" Alexander asked and Anthony nodded "how much bigger are we talking about?"

"My understanding is that he intends to wipe out the Seireitei in a flash of light" Anthony stated "if that happens the entire Soul Society will be thrown into chaos!!! Alexander, I'm begging you to stop him…"

Alexander drew his sword and softly said "mission accepted."

"…Esther…" Anthony said even softer than before "…I'm going to see your mother, just remember that we…love you…" Anthony let out a final moan before his hair turned black and his eyes turned a lifeless shade of grey.

"FATHER!!!" Esther shrieked as she began crying over his chest.

Alexander knelt down and closed his eyes as the marks of the Warlock clan covered his body "Elaina, I want you to take care of Esther" he commanded solemnly.

"Understood" Elaina replied quietly.

"I'm sorry Esther" Alexander said apologetically before he left and headed for the mountains to the east and quietly chanted "Darkness; spread across the universe and consume all evil…"

The scene shifted to the top of a mountain, Jacob and about three dozen people dressed in identical white robes where gathered around a strange device; it was about fifteen feet long, it had a barrel about two feet in diameter and it was pointing to a large cluster of buildings in the distance that Retsu recognized as Rukongai and the Seireitei.

"Is this everyone who made it?" Jacob asked.

"Aye my lord" a male voice replied "I'm afraid the others didn't make it."

"Fine, we'll just have to make do with what we have" Jacob hissed before he suddenly saw his shadow and the shadows of his followers began to move on their own, Jacob leapt away as he yelled "MOVE!!!"

The Saints looked at him in confusion before they heard Alexander say "too slow" and their shadows turned into spikes, before piercing through their backs "guess that just leaves you" Alexander stated as he emerged from the shadows "you really have gone over the deep end haven't you?"

"Path of the Saint: Excalibur" Jacob chanted before a white mass of energy shot out from the palm of his right hand and appeared to solidify into the form of a pure white long sword with what appeared to be runic symbols etched into the blade.

"Excalibur, the sword from the King Arthur stories?" Alexander asked "I hope for your sake that it lives up to the legends."

"I'll let you decide" Jacob stated coldly as he swung the blade and sent a disc of white energy towards Alexander, Alexander raised Kokuhyou to block the disc with his blade, moments later a large explosion threw Alexander back several feet crashing him into a nearby tree.

"Quite a punch" Alexander said as he stood back up and brushed himself out "that's quite a weapon you've got there, but tell me; what do you plan to do now that your followers are all dead? Even if you kill me here, I highly doubt you can hope to defeat the Shinigami on your own…after all you and I are no match for the thirteen captains."

"Who said that I plan to fight the captains?" Jacob chuckled as he walked over to the canon "and that attack wasn't meant to kill you, I just wanted to force you back long enough for me to initiate my plan B" suddenly a small cylinder shot out from the back of the canon and he placed his palm on it and several other cylinders popped out from the sides.

"What the Hell are you doing?" Alexander asked as he took his stance.

"You don't get it do you?" Jacob asked smugly "This cannon amplifies a Saint's spirit energy by absorbing the spirit energy of Saints or **A **Saint and then absorbing the spirit particles in the air, the reason I brought my followers with me wasn't because I **needed** them…" the cylinders began to glow brightly and Alexander's eyes shot open in shock "…it was for expedience sake, in other words you didn't stop my plan when you killed my followers, you just delayed it by about twelve hours."

"You bastard" Alexander hissed.

"When the canon is done charging, the Seireitei will be wiped from the world" Jacob said proudly.

"You crazy dumbass!!!" Alexander swore as he leapt towards Jacob and swung Kokuhyou down just before Jacob blocked his attack with his own sword "if you do destroy the Seireitei the entire Soul Society will be thrown into even greater chaos and even more people will be murdered!!!"

"That won't happen" Jacob replied "I'll kill anyone who tries to start a war."

"You think that you can observe and punish all of humanity?! Only a God could do that!!!" Alexander declared.

"Then I shall become a God" Jacob stated coldly as he swung his sword and threw Alexander back.

"_Damn it, he's strong!!!"_ Alexander swore in his mind as several more discs of energy exploded around him and scraped up his legs _"I have to destroy that canon" _he stretched out his left arm towards the canon before chanting "Warlock Art: Screech of the Damned!!!" suddenly the air filled with a horrible screech as the whirlwind of black energy raced towards the device.

Jacob leapt in front of the attack as his sword was engulfed in white flames before swinging it and firing a large blast of white energy which blew right through Alexander's attack and struck him in the chest and dropped him to the ground, moments later Jacob stood over the Warlock.

"_If I can just cut him with Kokuhyou, I'll be able to finish him off with a follow up attack" _Alexander thought as he attempted to stab Jacob with Kokuhyou.

Jacob quickly side stepped the attack before grabbing Kokuhyou's guard with his free hand and throwing it out of Alexander's hand before grabbing his wrist tightly.

"How pitiful, but what can you expect when a man attempts to defeat a God" Jacob said coldly.

Alexander chuckled before saying "damn you're stupid…" Jacob twisted his wrist and stomped on his chest "…have you forgotten? I'm not a man…" Jacob's eyes opened in shock as Alexander lunged towards him forcing his foot off of his chest, the claws on his left hand were suddenly heading for Jacob's heart "…I'm a Devil!!!"

Jacob quickly let go of Alexander's right arm before pointing his fingers at Alexander's left shoulder and chanting "Path of the Saint: Lance of Longinus!!!" Alexander's winced in pain as a thin beam of white light pierced his left arm just below the shoulder, moments later his entire left glowed white just before what appeared to be several small black flames seemed to erupted outwards as they disappeared into the air.

"_What the hell just happened?" _Alexander asked himself as he looked at his arm; he felt no pain, on the surface there didn't appear to be any damage, he tried to move it but couldn't "what the hell did you do to me?!" he demanded as he swung his right arm and Jacob leapt back to avoid his claws.

"I destroyed your soul's left arm" Jacob declared causing Alexander to look at him in shock as he tried to stand up.

"_Damn it, my legs!!!"_ Alexander thought.

"When a person is born into the world of living their souls are contained in a body" Jacob explained "when they die their soul is rendered vulnerable to impure influences which can cause them to turn into hollows, when they pass over into the soul society they gain a new body composed of spirit particles; the Lance of Longinus technique I used on you bypasses your body and directly destroys the parts of the soul that it strikes, right now your left arm still has all the necessary physical aspects it needs such as bones and muscles" he watched as Alexander tried to move his arm in vain "but without the part of the soul necessary to animate it…"

"Impossible" Retsu stated.

"…you'll never be able to use your left arm ever again!!!" Jacob stated.

Retsu's eyes opened up in a combination of shock and confusion as she heard the older Alexander say "that was how I originally lost my left arm."

"Surrender and I'll make your death quick and painless" Jacob offered.

"Go screw yourself!!!" Alexander hissed.

"Very well then, good bye you Devil" Jacob said as he raised his blade.

"Meimeikanshiki!!!" Esther chanted as a blast of white energy shot towards Jacob forcing him to leap away before she and Elaina appeared in front of Alexander, Esther's eyes were red most likely due to all the tears in her eyes "Elaina do what you can for your father, I'm going to kill Jacob!!!" she hissed before leaping towards her uncle.

"Is she alright?" Alexander asked as his body was engulfed in a soft green light.

"Well…" Elaina began as they turned to the ensuing battle.

"YOU BASTARD!!!" Esther shouted as she swung repeatedly at her uncle and blocked some of their attacks "I SWEAR I'M GOING TO RIP OUT YOUR SPINE AND CRUSH YOUR DAMN SKULL!!!"

"…have you ever heard her swear…at all, let alone like that?!" Elaina asked and Alexander shook his head "didn't think so."

"How could you?" Esther asked as tears still poured out from her eyes "he was your brother!!!" she swung down on Jacob.

Jacob side stepped and swung his sword horizontally, Esther leapt to the side, but Jacob still gave her a cut on her left cheek "Anthony simply paid the price for standing in the way of the new God."

"Damn you!!!" Esther hissed as she attempted to counter but Jacob blocked and gave her another cut on her right cheek.

"_This isn't good, she's got a solid defense but she can't land any hits" _Alexander thought desperately _"and to make it worse he's starting to inflict some damage on her, she needs an edge on him now or she'll die!!!"_ his eyes shot open when an idea hit him _"this is going to be hell on my legs!!!"_ he thought as he leapt towards Kokuhyou causing Elaina to look at him in shock, he quickly grabbed Kokuhyou and shouted "ESTHER HEADS UP!!!"

"What?!" Esther asked as she parried a sword swipe with Nehan in her right hand before catching a familiar weapon with her left hand _"Kokuhyou!!!"_

"HURRY!!!" Alexander yelled "WHILE THERE'S AN OPENING!!!"

"Right" Esther said as she eyed her uncle with murderous intent, she parried another stab using Nehan before following it up with a stab using Kokuhyou. Jacob's eyes opened in fear as the blade pierced his right arm and a surge of pain rushed through his body and he stumbled in agony, she shouted "YOUR DEAD!!!"

Alexander and Elaina watched in a mix of shock and terror as Esther slashed Jacob several times with both Kokuhyou and Nehan, Alexander noticed that she wasn't aiming for his vitals and that she was using Kokuhyou significantly more than Nehan. Eventually Jacob fell to the ground and his Excalibur disappeared, Alexander didn't know if Jacob had lost consciousness or not but Esther immediately jumped on top of him and began to stab him repeatedly even after his hair changed color and his blood formed a puddle.

"Esther stop" Alexander commanded as he grabbed her left wrist and Elaina grabbed her right she looked at him in rage, tears still pouring from both her eyes "it's over, he's dead" Esther's crying intensified as she dropped both Kokuhyou and Nehan "Elaina please destroy the canon" his daughter nodded before she let go and both Alexander and Esther fell to the ground.

"Another tragedy" Retsu stated solemnly as the scene blackened.

"And so there we were, the only likely survivors of two great clans that wished to rid the world of war…" the older Alexander's voice echoed "…but had fallen into depravity due to vanity and an excessive since of self-righteousness. With Anthony and the other Saints dead; Me, Elaina, and Esther were left with only one real option for avoiding poverty, and so…" the scene shifted to Elaina and Esther who were sitting next to each other in front of a pond that Retsu recognized, while the full moon hung overhead; however they were no longer wearing their old outfits, the two women were both wearing black kimonos "…we enrolled in the Spiritual Arts Academy, after one year the three of us graduated at the top of our class and were immediately recruited by the Eighth Squad."

"_Shunsui's squad?!"_ Retsu thought curiously _"he never mentioned them to me or Jyuushiro."_

"So you were planning to talk to my dad?" Elaina asked and Esther nodded "I have a couple of questions I want to ask you, is it alright?"

"Of course" Esther answered.

"What do you want to talk to my dad about?" Elaina asked.

"I want to make him…an offer of sorts" Esther answered _"I hope he'll accept."_

"Esther, do you love my father?" Elaina inquired seeing that she wasn't going to get any details out of her, suddenly Esther began to blush furiously and Elaina chuckled before saying "you don't have to answer that."

"Just one" Elaina stated.

"_Oh please let it be a simple one"_ Esther thought desperately.

"Esther, I was wondering if…if you wouldn't mind if I called you 'Mom'?" Elaina asked awkwardly.

Esther was silent for a few moments before happily saying "I'd be delighted."

Elaina hugged the Shinigami slash Saint before saying "thanks, Mom."

Retsu couldn't help but smile softly as Alexander appeared from behind a nearby cornor just before the two released each other, he too was wearing a black Kimono and he had Kokuhyou resting in its sheath just above his left leg, sadly his left arm was lying still in a red sling.

"I'll leave you two alone" Elaina chuckled "we head out in the morning so don't stay up too late" she added before running off.

"_Elaina…"_ Esther thought weakly.

"What did you want to ask me?" Alexander inquired.

"I wanted to make you an offer" Esther stated causing Alexander to look at her curiously "my…Uncle explained how the technique he used destroyed your souls left arm, right?" Alexander nodded "as I'm sure you've guessed, if left as you are now, you'll never be able to use your left arm again…"

"If I'm left as I am now?" Alexander replied.

"…There is one way you can regain the ability to move that arm…" Esther began to explain as she extended her own left arm before saying "…I could transplant my Soul's left arm to you!!!" Alexander's eyes popped open.

Retsu couldn't believe what she was hearing _"is that how he obtained Nehan?!"_

"Before you say no please listen to what I have to say" Esther begged "I was wrong about you, when we first met I made assumptions about the kind of man you are and tried to kill you, and yet when you had the chance you chose to let me live. Even though I showed you no respect you stood by side as a faithful partner for years on end…"

"I only did that because your father was paying me" Alexander lied and Esther saw through it.

"And because you lent me Kokuhyou, I was able to stop Jacob" Esther continued ignoring Alexander's interruption "I know you think that you're some sort of Demon or Devil because of what you did when you were alive, but I'm telling you none of what happened was your fault!!!" a couple of tears formed in Esther's eyes "you're a great man Alex and you don't deserve to be crippled for the rest of your life…so please take my arm, and if something happens to me…" she placed her right hand on Nehan "…you should be able to make Nehan accept you as her new master, since you'll have a part of my soul."

"Esther…" Alexander began as he walked up to the Saint.

"Please let me give you my arm" Esther repeated; before she knew it, Alexander wrapped his right arm around and rested the palm of his hand on the back of her head _"what's he doing?"_ suddenly Alexander pulled her in and kissed her on the lips.

"_How romantic"_ Retsu thought as a soft smile crossed her own lips.

"At that moment, I was completely content with my current position in the world" the older Alexander narrated contently "unfortunately it couldn't last forever…the date was August third nineteen fourteen; just two days after the start of an event that would forever change the world of the living; an event known simply as The First World War."

Author's notes: and that's chapter Fifteen for you, the next will be the last in this little Flashback mini-arc, the good news is that I THINK it'll be shorter than both chapters fifteen and Fourteen, which means I should be able to update sooner. But I can't guarantee that; in the mean time please leave a review, vote in my poll if you haven't done so already, and stay tuned for **Ch.16 Angel's Scream Devil's Cry**


	16. Angel's Scream Devil's Cry

Author's notes: Hot damn, I got this chapter out before college classes resumed, classes begin for me on Monday so I have no idea when I'll update again. Anyhow this is the last of the flash-back chapters, so next time we get back to their present.

I don't own Bleach, Devil May Cry, or any segments of Winston Churchill's 'Finest Hour' Speech.

Please read and review.

**Ch. 16 Angel's Scream Devil's Cry**

Alexander and Esther broke the kiss, moments later Esther asked "so will you take my arm?"

"Don't be stupid" Alexander said crudely causing Esther to raise an eyebrow "I'm not interested in taking other people's souls; it just isn't right even if it's only a part of their soul."

"But Alex" Esther replied.

"That's my final answer" Alexander stated "I appreciate the sentiment but I'm not interested; I'm going to catch some Zs" he kissed her again "you should do the same, we're going to the middle of a warzone tomorrow; it won't be pretty" Esther sighed before smiling weakly as she watched Alexander turn a cornor.

"So you're the Warlock who recently graduated from the Academy?" a sadistic voice asked "it's a shame that you appear to be a damaged specimen."

"Show yourself!!!" Alexander ordered harshly.

"_Mayuri Kurotsuchi"_ Retsu thought calmly as the strange captain squad twelve appeared from the shadows _"I suppose he wouldn't be able to help himself when both a Warlock and a Saint join the thirteen court guard squads at the same time…be careful."_

"How did you know I was there, when I hid my spiritual pressure?" Mayuri asked in excitement "was it some sort of special ability your people possess?"

"No, you're radiating so much madness and blood lust that even a novice could detect you" Alexander replied rudely "now tell me, what the Hell do you want?"

"Oh I just wanted to make a proposition" Mayuri said as he began flexing his fingers freakishly "I'd like you and that woman there to become my newest subjects of experimentation, I promise you both my finest working conditions."

"Alright" Alexander stated lightly.

"_He's lying through his teeth"_ Retsu thought calmly.

"Excellent, now where's that woman?" Mayuri asked as he turned his back to the Warlock who was snow smiling mischievously as his marks spread across his body.

"_Mayuri, you're a fool"_ Retsu thought calmly as she watched Alexander lunge towards Mayuri with a black crystal in his hand which he shoved into Mayuri's back.

"Why you!!!" Mayuri hissed as he tried to throw the Warlock but realized that he couldn't move "what did you do to me?"

"I just turned your soul into a bomb" Alexander said coldly "don't worry, you'll only die if I choose to detonate you!!!"

"Are you threatening me?!" Mayuri asked as his blood began to boil.

"No, I'm promising you" Alexander answered bluntly "listen carefully; if you EVER make a move against me, Elaina, or Esther I won't hesitate for even a fraction of a second to blow you to Hell" he took a couple steps back before saying "now get out of my sight you abomination" before he turned another cornor.

"Lovely night for romance isn't it?" Shunsui asked as he walked behind his new subordinate.

"Good evening Captain" Alexander said softly "I must admit I'm honored, I literally just joined your squad a day or so ago and you've decided to talk to me" he sighed heavily before thinking _"good grief two captains in one night, I get the feeling that my life isn't going to be all that peaceful even though I've joined the squads…"_

"Ah, now there's no need for that" Shunsui said in his usual cheerfully light tone "I couldn't help but notice that you seem pretty aware of what's going on in the World of the Living."

"I died on January 1st 1990, during our last days as academy students I did some research to find out what had happened since I died" Alexander began "and I read up on the political situation in Europe…"

"What did you find out?" Shunsui asked inquisitively.

"It was a damn nightmare" Alexander sighed as he rubbed forehead with his right hand "extreme nationalism, poverty, food shortages, racial tensions, political assassinations, and International military alliances; the whole continent of Europe, especially in the Balkan region to the east was a powder keg" he lowered his hand before shaking his head in sheer disbelief "it's a miracle this war didn't start sooner in my opinion."

Shunsui smirked as he placed his left hand on his new subordinate's shoulder "you have a very sharp mind, use it. The Soul Society will benefit greatly from it."

"I'll try" Alexander said weakly as they approached the barracks "but right now both my gut and my brain are telling me that this is going to be a Hell on Earth."

"Unfortunately I couldn't have been more right…" the older Alexander said weakly as the scene blackened "…this war introduced several new aspects that insured that this would be the bloodiest conflict yet; such as…" the scene cleared to a field which was covered in trenches with soldiers firing at one another, anyone who dared to raise their head too high was quickly shot to pieces; moments later several large explosions blew dozens of soldiers out of their foxholes "…tanks,…" the scene shifted to the skies where several Zeppelins exploded "…fighter planes, and probably worst of all…" the scene then changed to over a dozen corpses who were horribly discolored "…poison gas. Of course all these things weren't really a threat to us, but they gave more than a few people including myself horrible nightmares; the real problem wasn't the new weapons so much as the fact that they killed scores of people quite rapidly. You may or not know this but when humans wage war and they begin to kill each other at such a high rate…"

"_It often leads to swarms of hollows; due to the intense negative emotions that fill a battle field and since many soldiers die holding a strong grudge towards their enemies…" _Retsu thought as several hollows appeared next to the bodies of fallen soldiers _"…it's not unheard of for soldiers to wake up as hollows after dying without even spending any time as a whole"_ several shinigami being led by Alexander showed up and attacked the hollows.

"Damn it, they're everywhere!!!" Alexander swore as he slashed another hollow, another two hollows lunged towards him, Alexander stabbed his blade through the first one's temple before extending his right index and middle fingers before chanting "Hadou 4: Byakuria" a bolt of white lightning shot through the first hollow before blasting the second _"Kidou…it's like the long lost cousin of my clan's abilities." _

A couple hours later over a dozen Gillian appeared, they roared loudly before they began to march across the battle field.

"So those are the Menos" Alexander said plainly as he turned to his six teammates "don't get separated and eliminate them one by one" he ordered.

"What are you going to do Chief?" one soldier asked.

"My shikai is dangerous, it's best if you guys don't get too close to me, Kenshin you're in charge while I'm off slaughtering" Alexander stated and a man with short brown hair nodded "good hunting to all of us" Alexander added before he flew towards a Gillian and chanted "Darkness spread across the universe and consume all evil, Kokuhyou" moments later a Gillian stopped dead in its track after the blade of a black long sword was wedged into its forehead.

Retsu watched as Gillian after Gillian fell like collapsing towers, most went down thanks to coordinated attacks by groups of six or seven shinigami, but there were a few shinigami who were taking them down by themselves using their shikais.

"_Damn it there are a lot of them"_ Alexander thought as he sliced another Gillian and his eyes popped open at the site of a large blast of red energy quickly approaching him _"Is that a Cero? It has more energy than I ever imagined!!!"_ he put his right hand in front of his chest before chanting "Warlock Art: Demonic Protection!!!" a shield materialized in front of him as the blast connected _"Not Good!"_ he thought as it began to crack under the pressure _"it won't hold!!!"_

"Protect Nehan" Esther chanted as she flew between Alexander and his own shield before it crumbled and her own barrier took over "Cero too much for you Alex?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"I'll admit it was a lot more energy than I had expected but…" Alexander began as the red light faded and he turned his attention towards the Gillian who shot the Cero and he smiled widely "…but that gives me a killer idea."

"_What is he thinking"_ Esther asked herself as he flew off towards the Menos.

"Take it Kokuhyou" Alexander chanted as his sword broke into several black orbs and soared towards the giant hollow turning its mask black, Alexander opened his kimono top slightly to reveal a microphone "Attention all shinigami, this is team six Chief Alexander Dark-Heart, all units stay away from the Menos, I repeat stay the Hell away from the Menos; Don't say I didn't warn you boys and girls" he commanded.

"He's not going to…" Esther began but was cut off by the Gillian turning towards another Menos just before it fired another Cero, the blast literally blew the other Gillian's head off and she heard Alexander laughing like a mad man as it turned to the next target and repeated the process "…I'm in love with a deranged lunatic…"

After about an hour of firing Cero blasts the possessed Gillian was finally the last Menos still standing, its mask turned white as a black long sword seemed shot into the sky. The last thing the Gillian ever saw was the sight of a shinigami with strange marks, demonic eyes, and his left arm covered by a red sling standing on its nose; said shinigami had his right palm pointed directly at the large hollow before chanting "…Hadou 58: Tenran" dozens of shinigami across the battlefield watched in surprise as they saw what appeared to be a cyclone rip off the top half of the final Gillian's head.

"You really are too much Alex" Esther said dryly as he caught his sword as it changed back into a katana before he sheathed it.

"Esther after all the time that you and I have spent together, how can you be surprised?" Alexander asked and she rolled her eyes "I mean if anything wouldn't you have been ashamed if I **hadn't **taken control of a Gillian and used it to blow up the others?"

"Chief Dark-Heart, are you alright?" one of Alexander's subordinates asked as he and the other five appeared behind him.

"I'm fine just got a little carried away by the exhilaration" Alexander answered as his marks faded away and he breathed heavily "the good news is we're handing this fight over to the next shift Menos free so I'd call it a good day, if there is such a thing as 'a good day' in a war zone."

Esther raised an eyebrow as her own subordinates flew up behind her "didn't you have seven subordinates?"

"Rey got hit by a stray bullet yesterday, so he's on medical leave" Alexander answered as they flew towards a nearby camp.

"Luck bastard" one of Alex's men stated as they landed and everyone almost immediately sat down to catch their breath.

"That 'Lucky Bastard' took a bullet to his right ass cheek" Alexander said calmly "depending on the extent of the damage he may need to go into rehabilitation to get his leg back up to snuff."

"Yeah well at least he's out of this bleeding Hell-hole" one of his female soldiers stated crudely.

"You have a point there" Alexander conceded "I'm going to hit the sack; you all should do the same."

"Is chief Dark-Heart alright Chief Esther?" one of Esther's subordinates asked as their allies headed for their respective tents, their anger made evident by their loud swearing.

"He's led a very coarse existence" Esther answered "as a result he doesn't place a lot of value on 'proper language and etiquette'."

"Hey mom" Elaina said as she and her own team came in for a landing, Esther's subordinates raised an eyebrow at the fact that she was leading a team who were all considerably older than her.

"How'd your team hold out today?" Esther asked.

"A small firefight broke out in the village we were patrolling" Elaina sighed "a lot of civilians got caught in the crossfire…it wasn't pretty."

"I'm sorry to hear that" Esther stated.

"Any of you remember how people throughout the continent were actually excited when this war broke out?" Elaina asked as she chuckled darkly.

"The masses were celebrating in the streets, as I recall" Esther replied.

"Idiots" Elaina stated bluntly "how could anyone with a functioning brain cell have thought that this war was going to be something to celebrate?!"

"And so the battles continued and so did our missions, eventually the United States joined in the conflict which led to both sides blowing the Hell out of the entire Continent of Europe…" the older Alexander narrated "…the good news was that the Americans provided the countless starving people across Europe with some much need food relief, it didn't end the war but we had fewer people dying of starvation which meant fewer people turning into hollows and attacking us…there were however more Menos Grande and to make matters worse they weren't just Gillian…"

"So this is an Adjuchas?" the younger Alexander stated as he eyed a spherical hollow about a third of the size of a Gillian, with countless dark purple tentacles stretching out from its body, its mask was only a couple of times the size of a fist and it appeared to float behind its outer membrane, and towards the center was a dark red core about ten feet in diameter. It was a dark and rainy night, a flash of lightning revealed the ground to be littered with dozens of corpses of both human soldiers and shinigami. Its roar combined with the sounds of gunfire and explosive shells filled the entire area with a sound so loud that it shook the ground.

"Sir that thing has wiped out over a dozen teams, we need a couple of seated officers at least" one of Alexander's subordinates stated as their chief turned to them, they were the same ones as he started off with but many of them now had scars across their hands and faces, Alexander himself was bruised up and had a couple of scrapes but was otherwise fine "it's just too much for normal foot soldiers."

"You have a point" Alexander stated as he held his released blade over his shoulder "I'm going in, you guys join up with the other teams and request reinforcements."

"But sir" another one of Alexander's soldier tried to interject.

"If someone doesn't hold it off, it'll kill even more shinigami" Alexander stated and they looked at him as if he were on his death bed "relax, if there's one thing I know it's that I'm far from being a **normal** foot soldier..." he prepared to lunge towards his enemy before saying "…get going, that's an order!!!"

"Sir" they replied solemnly as he flew off and they headed in the opposite direction.

"Hadou 58: Tenran" Alexander chanted from above the hollow sending a large gust of wind towards the beast, it did little damage to the creature's body but it did succeed in making it lose altitude, as soon as the wind died down the Adjuchas lunged three of its tentacles lunged towards Alexander, Alexander quickly disappeared in a surge of black energy before appearing on the ground below the Adjuchas and chanted "Kurohari!!!" sending over a dozen black spears towards the beast. Several tentacles were severed before the spears pierced its membrane and it roared in pain "Did I get it?" Alexander asked, his eyes opened in horror as the holes in the hollow's membrane and its tentacles regenerated _"High Speed Regeneration!!!" _he thought before a tentacle slammed into his chest sending him flying back.

Alexander crashed repeatedly, eventually he slammed his right hand into the ground and it acted as a brake until he eventually stopped, before he could counter the Adjuchas slammed him into the ground with another tentacle creating a large crater, moments later another tentacle hovered above him and the tip turned into a sharp point before lunging towards his chest.

"Damn it!!!" Alexander swore.

"Meimeikanshiki" Esther chanted as a blast of white energy severed the tentacle's tip, moments later Alexander leapt out of the hole and took his stance next to her "biting off more than you can chew?"

"Shut up" Alexander said rudely _"Damn it, I really should've regained my footing a lot faster than that!!! Or at least I could have if…"_

"…_you could have used your left arm"_ Esther thought "in any case this Menos has to go."

"Agreed" Alexander sighed as the two of them rushed the Adjuchas.

"You've got any bright ideas?" Esther asked after about twenty minutes of hacking, slashing, and blasting at the Adjuchas' membrane but to no avail since any damage quickly regenerated itself.

"When I pierced this thing with Kurohari, it seemed to really feel the pain" Alexander stated "so if attacking the outside is useless…"

"…we need to hit it on the inside" Esther finished.

The two Shinigami looked each other in the eyes before nodding and Alexander said "let's do it."

Esther leapt to the left side of the Adjuchas as Alexander leapt to the right, they both turned ninety degrees to face the beast as they swung their swords and severed several of the Adjuchas' tentacles before they then rushed from opposite sides and stabbed the Adjuchas in its sides; the Adjuchas roared in pain as its membrane retracted slightly.

"_So if having a pair of swords wedged into its sides and Kokuhyou's effect have caused him to shrivel up slightly, so we should…"_ Alexander thought as he smirked widely.

"Alex trade me weapons!!!" Esther commanded as she pulled back her right fist and it erupted in white energy.

"I love that woman" Alexander stated happily as he pulled back his right fist and it was suddenly engulfed in black energy before they both slammed their fists into the bottoms of their Zanpakutou.

The Adjuchas roared in pain as the two soared literally went straight through its body and exited on opposite ends, Esther grabbed Kokuhyou while Alexander caught Nehan and the Adjuchas' membrane contracted even further. Alexander swung Nehan several times while Esther performed a stabbing motion dozens of times with Kokuhyou, the Adjuchas continued to contract until it was no more than five feet in diameter.

"Game over punk" Alexander stated as he and Esther pierced the Adjuchas' core causing it to roar one last time before it faded into nothingness.

"What's it been, about five years since this war started?" Esther asked as she and Alexander traded blades and sheathed them.

"About four and a half" Alexander sighed "Hopefully this war won't last much longer."

"Thankfully it did end in June of that year" the older Alexander said with a hint of relief "with the war over; most teams were able to return to the Seireitei. For those of us who made it through the war in one piece, it was a time of celebration."

The scene changed to a party in the eighth squad's barracks, Shunsui was at the center with several bottles of Sake and several shinigami were laughing hysterically.

"_Those men look as if they're about to lose consciousness"_ Retsu thought as they swayed heavily _"Shunsui, your parties are just too much" _she turned to see a few shinigami dancing with one another, and towards the cornor she saw Elaina laughing it up with several other Shinigami who appeared to be underage as well. From the cornor of her eye she saw Alexander sitting at a table off to the side with what appeared to be a newspaper in his hand, moments later Esther walked up to him.

"What's wrong?" Esther asked as she took a seat next to him "I thought you'd be glad that the war's over."

"I am, it's just that I'm concerned" Alexander stated as put the paper down.

"Why?" Esther asked.

"Tell me, have you read the peace treaty they came up with at Versailles?" Alexander inquired and Esther shook her head "Some of the conditions in this treaty I fear may lead to even bloodier war than the one that just ended."

"Such as?" Esther replied.

"For starters the Germans are being expected to accept all the blame for the war since Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire both collapsed, so they're being forced to take all the responsibility because they picked the wrong side" Alexander explained "and to make matters worse the other countries of Europe are expecting harsh reparations from Germany to repair the damages they suffered from all the fighting."

"I see, I think I know what you're worried about" Esther stated.

"I'm worried that all the humiliation, not to mention the economic damage that the Germans are going to suffer due to this treaty is going to lead them to do something stupid out of desperation" Alexander sighed as put the paper down and took a sip of tea "like pick a genocidal lunatic with world domination on his agenda for a leader and start an even bigger and bloodier war."

"_Impressive Foresight"_ Retsu thought calmly.

"Alex, the last war killed about eight and a half million people" Esther stated as she shook her head "I highly doubt they'll…"

"Don't underestimate humans and their capacity for death and destruction" Alexander warned "and I fear that The League of Nations won't last long unless the Americans join."

Esther was silent for several seconds before sighing heavily and grabbing Alexander by one of his bangs "just shut up and come join the fun" she ordered as she dragged him over to their squad mates.

"I was wondering where you were hiding" Shunsui said happily "you need to loosen up a bit."

"I'm sorry if I worried you Captain" Alexander said calmly as he took another sip of tea.

"Come on lighten up, here have a little Sake" Shunsui chuckled as he offered Alexander a cup of Sake.

"My clan forbids the consumption of Alcohol" Alexander stated "if one of us got drunk some very horrible things could happen."

"Ah come on just a little" Shunsui said playfully as he tried to force an entire bottle on his subordinate "what kind of British Gentleman doesn't enjoy a good drink?"

"I wasn't a British Gentleman, I was an American Degenerate" Alexander answered as he raised an eyebrow "you may be too wasted to understand this but there is a BIG difference between the two."

"Captain, you're drunk!!!" Nanao hissed as she forced her way through the crowd.

"Ah, not you to my sweet little Nanao" Shunsui replied before giving Nanao a kiss on the cheek, suddenly the entire barracks was wrapped in a dead silence as they felt an incredibly strong and angry presence fill the room.

"Let's get back…NOW!!!" Alexander hissed as he and Esther jumped back several feet, before they even landed Nanao had slammed Shunsui so hard with her book that he was sent flying through a nearby wall into the streets, moments later a vase and a Sake bottle soared after him and crashed into his forehead.

"Think he'll be okay?" Esther asked.

"It's not like she can find something bigger right?" Alexander asked in amusement, moments later an incredibly large brown blur flew through the barracks towards Shunsui "was that a…Desk?"

The two of them made their way to the hole in the wall to see their Captain buried beneath the wreckage of a desk "you were saying?" Esther inquired.

"I've been wrong before" Alexander stated in amusement as Shunsui dug himself out of the wreckage.

"Sadly I wasn't wrong about The Treaty of Versailles helping spark another war. Shortly after the end of the First World War, the world of the living went through a global depression, Violent Dictators came to power throughout the continent of Europe, the United States never joined The League of Nations and it collapsed in 1935, and the Germans picked a new leader by the name of Adolf Hitler; the man was exactly what I feared, a Genocidal Lunatic with an agenda for world domination" The older Alexander Narrated as the scene went black "Eventually another war began in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland and threw the entire continent of Europe, Northern Africa, and eventually both mainland and Pacific Asia into the quagmire of war. Naturally with all this chaos many shinigami including myself were dispatched to the world of the living."

The scene cleared to reveal Alexander standing in front of over three dozen shinigami standing on a rooftop in the middle of a large city Retsu noticed that Esther and Elaina were among the soldiers facing Alexander. The citizens were all either walking quickly to or were already gathered around a radio listening nervously.

"Welcome to London Ladies and Gents" Alexander began in a fake British accent before taking a more serious tone and saying "as most of you already know, Hitler has succeeded in conquering virtually all of Europe and it's only a matter of time before they begin to invade this country as well; I'm not going to lie to you, this will **not** be a pleasant experience for you all, but I have full confidence in your abilities and I expect every last one of you to give your all to your duties."

"Sir" the troops said as they saluted.

"Now then, we shouldn't be seeing any real action in this city until the fighting starts; I want teams one through three to head for the Southern Coast; there are currently about three hundred thousand troops attempting to cross the Channel from Dunkirk France" Alexander ordered and about "teams four through seven will remain here in London with me, there probably won't be many hollows until the Germans actually invade so I recommend you listen to a nearby radio to stay updated on the situation."

"Sir" most of the shinigami replied as they flew off leaving Alexander with Esther and Elaina.

"Are you alright Dad?" Elaina asked.

"I heard that the Germans have killed a lot of people" Esther said quietly.

"Yeah and I fear it isn't going to stop anytime soon; it started with relatively crude methods such stuffing them in trucks where they'd suffocate them with the exhaust, or taking them out into the woods and forcing them to dig their own graves before shooting them, but now they're literally rounding them up by the thousands and hauling them off to concentration camps" Alexander sighed "and for what? Because they happen to be Jewish, Homosexual, Disabled, or some other group that Hitler has decided was **undesirable**?!"

Esther placed a hand on Alexander's shoulder before saying "don't worry, Hitler will fall, I know it."

"Not if this island falls" Alexander replied "if Hitler takes Britain the whole world will most definitely be thrown into a new Dark Age. How can you be so confident that Hitler will be stopped when all that stands between him and world domination is this Island?"

Esther turned Alexander around and said "shut up for a minute" before she pulled him in for a kiss, Elaina chuckled as Esther broke the kiss and said "you need to learn how to have faith, tell me what it would take for you to have a little faith in humanity?"

"A miracle I suppose and one more…" Alexander chuckled before he kissed Esther on the lips himself "…I promise to keep my fingers crossed for Churchill."

"You animal" Esther stated as she rolled her eyes.

"Damn right" Alexander replied with a grin, suddenly they heard the entire city quite down as a single voice began to echo from the countless radios across the cities, the loudest ones seemed to be coming from around the Parliament "Well let's see what ol Winston has to say, shall we?"

Everyone within the city whether they were a human or a shinigami were listening in rapt attention as Winston Church spoke about the previous war, their alliance with France, and the current situation in the mainland of Europe with Nazi occupation and resistance movements in France and several other countries.

"_Those rebels have nerves of steel, I'll give them that"_ Alexander thought calmly as he, Esther, and Elaina listened from in front of Big Ben.

"What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us" Winston Churchill continued "Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science."

"He seems to know what is at stake at the very least" Alexander stated and Esther nodded.

"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour" Winston Churchill finished, almost instantly the entire city seemed to break out into wild cheers.

"I think they're ready to fight" Esther said calmly.

"You think?" Elaina asked smugly.

"What's this?" Alexander asked as he held out his hand and a Hell-Butterfly landed on the tips of his fingers, moments later he began to chuckle.

"What is it Alex?" Esther asked.

"You know that little speech we just heard?" Alexander asked and Esther and Elaina nodded "apparently everyone and their grandmother in Europe heard it and resistance movements throughout the continent are planning to up their efforts."

"And so the battle of Britain began between the British Royal Air Force engaged in battle after battle against the German Luftwaffe" the older Alexander narrated as the scene changed to the skies with dozens of planes firing on each other as Alexander and several shinigami took on multiple flying hollows "thankfully the British held out and despite the heavy bombings…" the scene changed to a milk man making his rounds through the bombed out streets of London "…the people of Britain and London in particular remained resolute to defy Hitler down to the last man and though I was stationed in Britain I heard that a similar mania was running wild in the continent as well, it was as if the world had chosen to deny Hitler right when he was on the verge of victory."

"_Of course not all the news was good"_ Retsu thought solemnly.

"Over the months Hitler made three mistakes which gave the Allies a real chance at taking him down; first he didn't pursue the fleeing soldiers at Dunkirk which fortified the British line of defense, secondly he invaded the Soviet Union which opened a second from, and lastly his obsession with exterminating Jews and other groups got the better of him leading him to divert resources from his two war fronts to his death camps…" the older Alexander continued "…unfortunately the invasion into the Soviet Union escalated the conflict and since Hitler had now established Death Camps which led to a massive increase in the deaths of both soldiers and Civilians which meant more hollows and more shinigami became necessary. Eventually the United States got involved in the conflict and the Allies succeeded in invading Europe from both France and Italy; as I suspected the casualties quickly dwarfed the casualties of the previous war, about nine months later the fight was brought to the German capital of Berlin…" he chuckled before saying "…on a more amusing note the last fight of the European theatre began on Hitler's birthday in 1945. Unfortunately it was a hellish twelve days of fighting…"

"So you thought Hitler was unstoppable right?" Esther asked smugly as she and Alexander sat around a camp fire a couple miles outside the city "looks like you aren't always right."

"That was in June of 1940; today is the 29th of April 1945…" Alexander replied lightly as he took sip of water from a canteen "…sadly I wasn't wrong about the casualties…" he looked up to the moon and sighed "…makes me glad that Elaina accepted that officer's seat in the fourth squad."

"_That's right, it was during this war that Elaina transferred into my squad"_ Retsu thought.

"It's true that she's a medic now, but that doesn't mean she won't see these horrible battles" Esther said solemnly.

"That may be…but she'll be at least a little bit safer" Alexander stated.

"At least the war will likely end soon" Esther offered cheerfully.

"In Europe yes, but that still leaves the Pacific and from what I hear the Americans won't be able to end it quickly" Alexander replied causing Esther to sigh heavily, moments later her eyes popped open as she felt Alexander's right arm wrap around her shoulders before Alexander pulled her in next to him "but I've witnessed more than a few miracles over the past few years, so I'll keep my eyes out for them if we go to the Pacific front."

"So you found your faith in people" Esther chuckled before removing his arm and saying "I'm glad" she grabbed the back of Alexander's head before pulling him into a deep kiss.

Alexander and Esther looked around before thinking _"there's no one around, so why not?"_

They continued the kiss as Esther began to snake out of her Kimono top and the scene went black "I'm pretty sure you can guess what happened here (need keep this T rated folks, my next project will probably be an M)" the older Alexander said plainly.

"_That's…pretty obvious"_ Retsu thought dryly.

The scene changed to Alexander and Esther who were flying through the streets of Berlin holding their released swords as explosions and gunfire tore up the surrounding streets and buildings, and dozens of hollows were swarming the city. Moments later they slashed through several hollows who were about to attack a small base of injured shinigami and the squad four members who were treating them.

"Mom, Dad, what the Hell took you guys so long?" Elaina asked crudely.

"Now, now a seventh seat shouldn't talk that way to a sixth seat" Alexander said smugly.

"Oh can it" Elaina replied.

"Alex, look over there" Esther stated as she pointed to an incoming Hell Butterfly.

"Damn it, what now?" Alexander swore as he held out his finger and the Butterfly landed on it, moments later Alexander burst out laughing.

"What is it?" Esther asked somewhat horrified at Alexander's behavior.

"Hitler's dead" Alexander said happily "the bastard and his mistress killed themselves."

"That's wonderful" Elaina said as she turned to her squad mates and gave them the good news.

"But considering that this is Hitler we're talking about…" Esther began.

"Oh no doubt, the bastard's going to turn into a hollow" Alexander assured her before they felt a strong spiritual pressure coming from just above the Reich Chancellery, seconds later a second but slightly less powerful spiritual pressure appeared next to it "and it would seem this Eva Braun really was his soul mate" Alexander prepared to fly towards them before saying "cover me Esther."

"You got it" Esther replied.

"I'll come back you up when we're done here" Elaina assured them.

"Elaina…we'll kill them both long before you can offer any help" Alexander chuckled as they both flew off.

"Be careful" Elaina said softly.

The two shinigami flew up to their targets and took their stances as the hollows roared so loudly that the entire city of Berlin could hear it. One of them had a feminine humanoid shaped body with razor sharp claws on both her hands, her entire body was covered in dark brown feathers and her arms supported two large wings, she had a bird shaped mask with a large beak sticking out, and there were three dark green horizontal stripes running across her face.

"So this would be Hitler's secret mistress?" Esther asked calmly "which would make this one."

"The bastard himself" Alexander said with murderous intent "it's time for your punishment Adolf."

The second hollow also had a humanoid appearance, but he appeared to be incredibly frail, his skin was dark red, he had messy brown hair around his mask which had three black on each cheek, and there was a black swastika on his forehead.

"I'm not surprised" Alexander stated as he leapt towards Hitler and swung his sword down on I'm, the hollow grabbed the blade with its hands "your soul is just as twisted as my father's!!!" he swung his sword with all his might throwing his opponent towards the ground, his palm began to glow before chanting "Hadou 33: Soukatsui" firing a blue fireball toward his target.

The harpy screamed as it flew towards Alexander, Esther intercepted it halfway with a vertical swing of her sword before saying "I'm your opponent, not him."

"Be careful Esther" Alexander warned "these two may not be the genuine article…" Hitler's hollow emerged from the smoke of Alexander's spell seemingly unharmed "…but they're both Menos class."

"Got it" Esther replied as Eva flew back and fired several feathers towards her "protect, Nehan."

The two shinigami continued to fight the hollowafied dictator and his mistress for about thirty minutes. Esther was fighting on par with Eva and was starting to inflict some serious damage to her; unfortunately Alexander was having some real trouble battling Hitler who remained unharmed while Alexander had several cuts on his chest and face. Alexander attempted to stab Hitler through the heart but he side stepped the attack and slammed Alexander in the head with both hands sending him plummeting towards the streets below.

"Damn it!!!" Alexander swore as he continued to fall.

"ALEX!!!" Esther shouted as she threw off Eva before pointing her left index and middle fingers at her and chanting "Bakudou 61: Rikujyoukuro" trapping her between six bars of light.

"_I couldn't stop his counters…"_ he thought angrily as he slammed into the street and created a crater about a dozen feet deep _"…and all because I only had one damn arm!!!"_ he blacked out almost instantly.

Hitler lunged towards Alexander at full speed as he focused energy into his right claw causing to glow bright red.

Esther quickly got in between the two before chanting "Protect Nehan!!!" Hitler slammed his fist into the barrier and a large wave of red energy began to spill out from the hollow's fist moments later the shield shattered and Nehan flew out of Esther's fist as his fist was heading right for Alexander's heart "I WON'T LET YOU!!!" she shouted "PATH OF THE SAINT: HEAVENLY BANISHMENT!!!"

"That was when the Angel screamed…" the older Alexander said solemnly as tears began to flow down Retsu's cheeks.

"_What…what happened to me? I feel strange…"_ Alexander thought as his vision cleared suddenly his eyes popped open in terror to see Esther standing in front of him with a bleeding hole in her chest "ESTHER!!!" he shouted as she fell and Alexander quickly caught her and held her bridal style _"What the?!"_ Alexander thought suddenly _"I…can move my left arm again?!" _he looked down at the woman he was holding as her right ham touched his cheek.

"Alex, you have to stay sharp, they'll be able to move soon" Esther said weakly as he looked up to see Eva trapped in Rikujyoukuro and that Hitler was trapped in a thin layer of white energy as he floated in midair.

"Why?! Why did you sacrifice yourself?!" Alexander asked desperately.

"Simple you dumb Devil, I love you" Esther chuckled before she coughed up a small amount of blood "it's alright…" Alexander was speechless "…I'll shape the future through you."

"Please don't talk anymore, you need to save your strength" Alexander begged.

"Listen to me…" Esther pleaded "…use Nehan to protect Elaina and everyone else who's important to you…" she coughed up even more blood "…and no matter what happens, even if your path is covered in mud, you must…keep moving…forward…" her body suddenly went limp.

"_No, No!!!"_ Alexander thought as he felt the life fade from her body, moments later his eyes popped open and he placed his hand over Esther's stomach _"Esther…you were… pregnant…"_ Esther's hair turned black and her lifeless eyes turned dark grey as Alexander felt the two life signs disappear completely and he fell to his knees.

"…that was when the Devil cried" the older Alexander added painfully as his younger self began to cry heavily.

Moments later the six bars of light shattered and Hitler's hollow returned to normal, they lunged towards Alexander at the same time. However they were quickly thrown back by an eruption of black spirit energy as it soared into the air. His left arm was surrounded in a white aura as he placed Esther on the ground and picked up Kokuhyou with his right hand, he looked at the pair of hollows with tears pouring from his demonic eyes as he picked up Nehan with his left hand.

"You two are going to pay dearly for that…mark my words!!!" Alexander said with murderous intent before chanting "I call upon the divine light of the heavens, join upon my blade and release thy fury…" he disappeared in surge of black energy before appearing in front of Eva pointing Nehan right at her face "…Meimeikanshiki!!!" a blast of white energy shot through Eva's mask, moments later she faded into nothingness.

Hitler charged towards the Warlock with both hands glowing bright red, Alexander blocked them with Nehan's blade before kicking him in the chest with both feet sending him flying back several yards. Hitler tried to rush him one more time but he was stopped by a cyclone of wind which threw him back even further before he was slammed by six rods of yellow light.

"I'll make you suffer" Alexander hissed before he began to chant "I call upon the darkest shadows of hell, gather before me and strike my enemies, Kurohari" dozens of black spears rushed towards the hollow; unlike other times he had used this power when the spears instantly impaled the target, this time the spears seemed to burrow into its flesh causing it to scream out in pain "my shadows will tear you apart from the inside one piece of flesh at a time, you'll experience the kind of pain you should have when you died before you go to Hell, may you burn for the rest of eternity!!!"

About thirty minutes later Hitler's hollow was left resembling Swiss cheese as the Gates of Hell opened and dragged him through. Alexander flew down to Esther's body and burst into tears as the scene turned black. The last scene turned to Alexander at a grave in the Seireitei that read 'Esther', Elaina was crying on her knees; however her hair was no longer its normal shade of brown, now it was jet black just like her father's.

"_A darkness affinity" _Alexander thought solemnly as he looked at his daughter's hair _"losing her mother caused it to awaken to the point where her hair turned black…I hope she never suffers enough to fully awaken it…"_

"After that I accepted a promotion to be the new fifth seat of squad nine and I swore that I'd carry out Esther's wish for the rest of my existence" the older Alexander concluded as Retsu found herself back on Minazuki's back.

"_So that's how he ended up with two Zanpakutou…"_ Retsu thought as she turned to the current Alexander "I'm sorry about Esther and your…child."

"It was my own fault for being weak" Alexander said sadly as he began to rub Minazuki with his free hand and it seemed to like it "I'm sorry I used your Zanpakutou to finish off Selene, I imagine it hurt you to have a person use you to kill someone."

"Third Seat Dark-Heart" Retsu replied weakly.

"I still think about Esther everyday; and especially the child I lost" Alexander continued as tears fell from his eyes "a child descended from both the Saints and the Warlocks…can you imagine what he or she would've likely been capable of?"

"I'm sure your child would've been a great shinigami, after all…it would've had two excellent parents" Retsu assured him.

"I'm sorry Captain Unohana, having to listen to a despicable man like me…" Alexander began.

"Don't say that…" Retsu cut him off "…you may think I'm a wonderful person, but the truth is…" she looked down to see the Seireitei as the sun rose "…I'm probably one of the most unforgivable people in all of the Soul Society."

Author's notes: and that's chapter sixteen and the last of the flashback chapters please leave a review, next update we'll be back with Toushirou, Rangiku and the other characters. In the mean time please leave a review, vote in my poll, and if you're either politically active or think that you may ever become active please read the following paragraph; especially if you're an American like me.

Unless you've been living in a cave for the last couple of months, you are no doubt aware of the heated debate over health care reform here in the United States. There are a lot of points that are rightfully being debated throughout the country such as cost, access, quality, and the Public Option; these points like most issues of policy in the United States are matters of Left and Right and should be discussed and debated because that is how things get done here in America for better or worse. However you have been made aware of Protestors who have been bussed around the country by Health Insurance companies to disrupt town halls by shouting people down who are trying to have conversations with their congressmen, symbolically hanging representatives, and most despicably of all the use of Nazi imagery and comparing President Obama to Hitler. Like I said earlier the issue of what we do to help the approximately 50 million Americans who don't have Health Insurance and the millions more who are just one serious disease away from financial ruin because of the costs are a matter of Left and Right; but the behavior of some of these protestors have crossed the line and have become an a matter of Right and Wrong. After World War I President Woodrow Wilson attempted to convince this country that we needed to join the League of Nations so that a future tragedy could be avoided, we didn't listen and most historians agree that if the United States had join the League; WWII might NOT have happened. Today we find ourselves at a similar crossroads in regards to Health Care, our current system in inexcusable; the United States spends thousands of dollars more per person on Health Care than any other country in the Western World and yet we have millions of uninsured and our quality isn't better than any or even most of those countries it's worse, our current system is nothing but a sick joke and we need reform of some kind as soon as possible.

As far as comparing people to Hitler is concerned I want you all to understand just what Hitler did. Hitler murdered over 10 million innocent people because he thought they were racially inferior and he threw Europe into WWII which led to the deaths of approximately 60 million more people (many of them civilians). The only person you should EVER compare to Hitler is Hitler and to compare anyone else to him is a blatant display of immaturity, ignorance, and a lack of moral compass no matter how much you may disagree with their politics.


	17. Life Saver or Taker

Author's notes: Guess what boys and girls I'm still alive believe it or not. Sorry about the wait but like I said last chapter, college can throw your plans into chaos.

I still don't own Bleach or Devil May Cry

Please read and leave me a nice juicy review.

**Ch. 17 Life Saver or Taker?**

It was a beautiful sunny morning on the castle grounds; everywhere you looked servants were cooking, cleaning, or performing some other arduous tasks. The head of the household was sitting silently in one of the rooms; he appeared to be in his mid forties with raven black hair which he kept incredibly short, his eyes were dark blue, he had a cross shaped scar on each cheek and he had a larger scar draped down his left eye, his kimono was blood red with gold lining and intricate serpentine dragons were draped in golden thread throughout the robes.

"So you truly wish to go through with this?" the man asked calmly.

"I do father" a small girl who appeared to be about thirteen years old replied, she was wearing the same robes as her father, her hair and eyes were the same color as his, her hair however was wrapped into a horizontal bun at the back of her head, she had a very soft expression as a pair of bright golden earrings and a necklace shined from the sunlight shining through a nearby window.

"I won't stop you, if this is what you truly desire" the man said sternly "I just want you to realize that if you join you'll be eliminating yourself from becoming the next head of one of the four great noble households which can only be rivaled by the Kuchki, Shihouin, and Shiba families."

"I told you, I understand" the daughter replied calmly.

"Could you tell me why?" the father asked.

"Because I won't be able to live with myself if I become the head of a household that continues to garner wealth over the exploitation and murder of innocent people, I would rather die than live such a life" the daughter explained "that's why I want to become a shinigami, that way I can give back to the Soul Society instead of just taking from it."

"You disappoint me, you seem to be suffering under the delusion that we're not better than them" the father stated coldly as he stood up and looked his daughter in the eyes, he saw a cold hard resolve burning behind the sadness "very well then from this moment on, you are no longer a member of this household; you are to leave the grounds immediately and to never return. Is that clear?" he turned and began to walk away silently "Retsu Metsubou?"

"Good bye father" Retsu said calmly as she stood up and removed her jewelry and the rod which held her hair up before she walked towards the exit of the grounds with tears in her eyes.

"Captain Unohana, are you alright?" a young man's voice asked.

Suddenly Retsu woke up to find herself lying her head down on her own desk she sat up to see her seventh seat Hanataro Yamada standing in her doorway wearing his usual panicked expression.

"Sorry the past couple of all-nighters took it out of me" Retsu said calmly suddenly she realized that there was a disturbingly loud noise coming from one of the nearby medical wards "let me guess, those guys from Squad Eleven?"

"Yes ma'am, they're really rowdy and third seat Iemura requested some assistance" Hanataro answered.

"I see, very well then" Retsu stated as she stood up and walked towards the disturbance _"I guess after hearing Dark-Heart's story it's not all that surprising, I had that dream…to think I had forgotten how long it had been…"_

Her thoughts were interrupted when suddenly the rowdy laughs coming from the infirmary changed to cries of terror and a squeaky voice chuckled happily.

"Thanks again Dark Boy" she heard a little girl say in delight.

"_That's right we also have the injured members of squad ten in there"_ Retsu thought.

"Anytime" she heard Alexander say moments before Retsu and Hanataro opened the infirmary doors to see every last member of the eleventh squad cowering in fear in their beds, all of the medics with the exception of her third seat appeared to be on the verge of laughing hysterically, the members of squad ten were all laughing softly regardless if they were injured or just visiting, and she saw Alexander sitting in his own bed with a large smirk across his face and his marks had spread across his body; her own third seat and the members of squad eleven were looking at him with an air of contempt.

"That was completely out of line" the third seat of squad four said calmly.

"Ah loosen up, it was funny and you know it Iemura" Alexander said as he forced back a laugh of his own and he looked towards all the medics before adding "and by the way if you ever have trouble with people from squad eleven, that method will work for you to. Just make sure you open a window first and take a few steps back."

"Third seat Dark-Heart" Iemura began.

"What just happened here?" Retsu asked calmly causing her third seat and the members of squad eleven to look at her in fear.

"Well Captain, it all started in the distant past known as three minutes ago" Alexander began with a grin.

_Flashback_

"This is why I hate those guys from squad eleven" a wounded man from the tenth squad sighed "it's impossible to get any damn rest when we get injured."

"Don't worry, I'm already on it" Alexander said from the next bed over.

"Third seat Dark-Heart?" the man asked when he noticed that his marks had appeared he smirked and thought _"this should be good."_

"Third seat Dark-Heart, I'm back" another male member of squad ten said as he rushed up to him and offered him a bag "and I got what you asked for."

"Excellent" Alexander said evilly as he grabbed the bag and pulled out a giant lollipop before saying "please open that window over there" he pointed to the nearest window overlooking the streets.

"Sir" the man replied before doing as he was told.

"Anyone have a cell phone I can borrow, mine's in storage at the moment?" Alexander asked.

"Here you go sir" one of the female visitors said as she passed him her phone.

"Alright then" Alexander said happily as he turned to see that the window had been opened "hey third seat Iemura" he called out causing him to turn to his fellow third seat "let me show you how to handle a group of rowdy squad eleven members with an open window, a giant lollipop, and a cell phone" he instructed as he typed in a number and put it up to his ear.

"What are you doing?!" Iemura asked.

"I'm here" a loud voice said gleefully drawing all attention towards the open window where they saw a little girl with bubblegum pink hair standing.

"Lieutenant Kusajishi?" Iemura stated in confusion as she rushed towards her subordinates who all began to shriek in terror; moments later she was standing next to Alexander's bed with an expectant expression on her face.

"An excellent job as always Lieutenant" Alexander stated approvingly as he handed her the giant lollipop.

"Thanks again Dark Boy" Yachiru said happily as she accepted the candy.

"Anytime" Alexander replied as she leapt through the window to go to who knows where.

_End Flashback_

"Is that how you and the rest of squad ten deal with the eleventh squad?" Retsu asked as she took a peek at his charts.

"There are some slight differences" Alexander answered before asking "can you keep a secret?" Retsu nodded, he whispered "Captain Hitsugaya struck a deal with Lieutenant Kusajishi shortly after he became a Captain to keep our rowdy neighbors under control; she keeps her subordinates out of our section of the city, and in exchange he gives her the candy that Captain Ukitake more or less forces on him" he chuckled before returning to his normal voice and saying "he sees it as killing two birds with one stone."

"Why would he want to keep that secret?" Retsu inquired.

"He really doesn't like anything that could be called 'childish' so he doesn't want too many people to know about it" Alexander replied with a smirk as his marks disappeared and he turned to Hanataro "on another note, how'd my injuries look?"

"Oh that's right, sorry sir, I was about to tell you before…" Hanataro said nervously as he made for Alexander's charts.

"You're wounds have healed, so you're free to check out at anytime" Retsu informed him.

"Ah yes…I was about to say that" Hanataro added.

"Sounds good" Alexander replied as he leapt out of bed and undid his own bandages before putting on a black kimono top.

"Sir is our lesson canceled for this afternoon?" one of his female subordinates asked as they made their way for the exit.

"Are you kidding?" Alexander asked with a smile "as soon as I get my swords back I intend to drill all of you until you're using level sixties and seventies kidou, **without** the spirit chant."

"_How does he do it?" _Retsu asked herself as she and the other healers went back to work.

*Two hours later*

The thirteen Captains were all gathered in the hall; Head Captain Yamamoto raised his head slightly as he looked towards all the Captains of even numbered squads to one side before turning to the six Captains of the odd numbered squads to his other side before saying "let us begin this meeting, Squad Ten Captain Toushirou Hitsugaya and Squad Four Captain Retsu Unohana please step forward…" Retsu and Toushirou walked up to the front of the Head Captain, the latter had a large bandage on his cheek and he had large bags under his eyes "…now please inform your colleagues of your last mission."

Toushirou looked Retsu in the eye for a moment before she nodded, he sighed calmly before saying "we were sent out to investigate a loss of communication with the Satellite City of Panama, when we arrived we found that the entire city had been annihilated."

"What happened, was it a hollow attack?" Shunsui asked.

"If it were that simple, I doubt this meeting would've been called" Toushirou answered earning him a curious look from most of the people in the room "it was a massacre orchestrated by a rogue Warlock named Selene Void."

"A Warlock you say? You mean like your third seat?" Soifon inquired and Toushirou nodded "how could this have happened if there was only one of them? All the stories I've heard about your squad's third seat and his record indicate that he's incredibly powerful, but there's nothing to suggest that he could ever have hoped to pull off an attack on this magnitude by himself."

"She had broken some of the clan laws" Toushirou stated "long story short their clan had forbidden a number of practices for ethical concerns, one of these practices was the subjugation of hollows."

"What kind of hollows did this woman have under her control?" Ukitake asked "and how many?"

"All of them were able to hide their spiritual pressure which is why the soldiers stationed there weren't able to call for reinforcements…" Toushirou began.

"_So I'm not the only one who's been doing research on hollows"_ Aizen thought calmly.

"…the bulk of her forces were comprised of simple wolf like hollows whose powers were primarily in the middle of the B class, due to the insuring chaos we weren't able to get an exact number on them. She also had three Menos class hollows under her control" Toushirou continued "one was a four story tall monstrosity she had developed as a bombardment type, while the one I faced was meant for fighting at high speeds in the air…"

"Sounds fun, wish I had been there" Kenpachi stated as he radiated blood-lust.

"_Animal"_ Toushirou thought and he could tell by the looks on their faces that he wasn't the only one who was thinking that.

The meeting carried on for about three hours as Toushirou and Retsu informed their colleagues of what had transpired during their joint-operation. Finally as the sun began to set as they finished their report.

"Any more questions?" Toushirou asked calmly.

"Just one, how many men did you lose in that operation?" Aizen inquired.

Toushirou sighed heavily before answering "like I said, me and my officers were able to hold off all three of the Menos class hollows; despite that and the immediate medical treatment, we still lost fifteen soldiers due to the fighting."

"I must admit, I'm impressed" Sajin chipped in drawing Toushirou's gaze towards the Captain whose face was covered by a helmet "given the size and strength of her forces, not to mention the fact they got the drop on you, I would've expected a lot more casualties."

"Very well then, are there any other questions?" Yamamoto asked sternly as he slammed his cane into the ground and nobody answered "very well then dismissed."

*A few minutes later*

Toushirou opened the doors to his office to see Rangiku sleeping soundly on the couch; he looked to the left to see his third seat sitting calmly in a nearby chair.

"So did you really use **that** power?" Alexander asked calmly.

"Yes" Toushirou answered, he noticed Alexander's eyes turn towards Rangiku "and she saw me in that state."

"How did she react?" Alexander inquired.

"There's no need to worry" Toushirou assured him "she's not a good enough liar."

"That's good to hear" Alexander sighed in relief "by the way I managed to finish this for you…" Alexander reached into robe before pulling out a piece of parchment the size of a piece of notebook paper, a large replica of the Warlock Clan's insignia was drawn in what appeared to be heavy black ink which seemed to be flowing like a continuous river "…just in case you find yourself in a situation like that again."

"I appreciate it, though I hope I won't have to use it" Toushirou told him he rolled up the parchment and hid it within his own robes "judging by your condition when I got back things got pretty messy, what exactly did you do in front of Captain Unohana and the others?"

"Aside from my shikai's special abilities, she witnessed my abilities to distort dimensions along with some of my other Warlock Arts, and she saw me perform Hadou 90" Alexander answered.

"Did you use your Bankai?" Toushirou inquired.

"I wish I could have, it would've made the fighting a lot easier" Alexander replied "I was using Kokuhyou to control that boy Ion so he wouldn't get involved and I had Nehan protecting and supplementing Lieutenant Koutestu's healing arts as she tried to get her Captain moving again."

"I see" was Toushirou's response.

*Seireitei Archives building*

Retsu was looking through a large stack of documents in the Archives on a large table with nothing but a simple lamp for lighting, she had been searching for about an hour and she still hadn't found what she was looking for.

"Looking for a good read?" Shunsui asked as he emerged from the nearby darkness "maybe I can help, its hell trying to find something with the poor lighting in this section of the archives."

"Actually I think you can" Retsu responded softly "I want to ask you something about these two" she handed Shunsui a pair of files.

"Ah, my former sixth seat and one of my chiefs during the early half of the twentieth century" Shunsui said happily "I miss those two they were both so much fun to have around, even if I could never get either of them to drink so much as a single cup of sake."

"Why did you and Lieutenant Ise never file a report about what happened to the two of them in Berlin?" Retsu asked "such a discrepancy can get you in big trouble with the Central Forty Six."

"The simple truth is that he asked us not to" Shunsui answered "he said he didn't want people looking into his record and then to suddenly feel that he was a man to be pitied; personally I think he doesn't want anyone to pity him because he probably blames himself for everything that happened both before and after he died."

"You're saying he's trying to carry the burden of his father's sins and bear the responsibility for Esther's death, all on his own?" Retsu asked.

"So he did show you" Shunsui replied in slight amusement causing her to look at him calmly "that's right his father committed countless travesties while he was alive and as a shinigami he failed to protect the person who was most precious to him, and the only person he blames for it all is himself, even though there was very little he could have done."

"_So it's just as I suspected"_ Retsu thought solemnly.

"He's the same as you in that regard" Shunsui said plainly, he took a couple of steps towards the exit before stopping.

"_The same as me…"_ Retsu thought as she put the records away _"…I guess there are some similarities…"_

"Speaking of the Central Forty Six…" Shunsui began drawing Retsu's attention "…be very careful, I fear they may be getting paranoid."

"I appreciate your concern" Retsu replied _"so he noticed the Stealth Force around the Tenth Squads section of the city as well."_

*Back with Toushirou*

For the second time in about a week Toushirou found himself standing in one of his least favorite environments, a bar. There were literally over a dozen of shinigami lying on the floor passed out from too much drinking, countless bottles of sake littered the tables and floor, and the smell of alcohol was so potent that the young Captain wanted to puke. But that's not why Toushirou was furious, what had him so pissed off was the sight of his Lieutenant and the bald headed third seat of squad eleven Ikkaku Madarame leaning towards the bartender, one look at their faces would tell you that they were both incredibly drunk.

"Ah com on" Rangiku pleaded "It's only four in the afternoon."

"Lieutenant I've told you already, you and your friends cleaned me out" the bartender said desperately "I'm **completely **out of sake."

"Impressive isn't it Captain?" Toushirou heard Elaina ask from a nearby table sitting across from the pretty boy fifth seat of Squad Eleven Yumichika Ayasegawa.

"Why exactly did Rangiku decide to get drunk in the middle of the afternoon?" Toushirou asked in annoyance.

"Simple, the last mission kept her away from all her favorite bars for about five days, she's trying to make up for lost time" Elaina answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "and she decided to bring some people from squad eleven with her for laughs."

"And to get them to pay for the sake?" Toushirou replied and Elaina nodded, he turned to see that Rangiku's uniform was opened slightly more than usual and she was still pleading with the barkeep "I swear."

"At least she's not completely shit-faced" Elaina said cheerfully "then she'd embarrass you in front of the entire bar."

"She's already done that" Toushirou sighed as she fell on her back and started laughing hysterically causing him to slam his hand over his face.

"All right this is your last chance!!!" Ikkaku hissed.

"I'm sorry sir but we are completely out, Lieutenant Matsumoto alone drank about a third of my stock" the bartender begged.

"WRONG ANSWER!!! Extend Hozukimaru" Suddenly the drunken third seat was holding what appeared to be a spear with a razor sharp blade at the end.

"Bakudou 63: Sajousabaku" Toushirou chanted, moments later Ikkaku dropped his weapon as a chain of pure energy wrapped around him completely binding his arms to his chest, Toushirou turned to Yumichika and said "get him out of here."

"Whatever you say Captain" Yumichika sighed as he made his way over to his drunken friend "I swear there's nothing beautiful about all this."

"_What an egomaniac"_ Toushirou thought as he made his way over to his own Lieutenant who seemed to be in a light drunken sleep "sorry about all the trouble she's caused you."

"It's no problem Captain" the bartender sighed before smiling widely "thanks to her I made a fortune and it's not even sundown, when she wakes up tell her I should be restocked by eight tonight."

"_He just had a blade pointed at his throat and all he can think about are profits?"_ Toushirou asked himself before he suddenly heard yelling incoherently "if only there was a kidou spell to shut him up."

"Oh you don't need kidou for that Captain" Elaina said happily "let me show you a trick" Elaina walked up to Ikkaku and hit him with the back of her hand, almost instantly Ikkaku's eyes seemed to pop as he fell to his knees in pain.

"Bitch" Ikkaku managed to squeeze out before he lost consciousness.

"_Well that was…different"_ Toushirou thought before suddenly Rangiku's eyes opened and she shot up into a sitting position "so are you sober now?"

"Captain it's a good thing you're here!!!" Rangiku said drunkenly "there's not much time you have to stop them!!!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Toushirou asked.

"This should be good" Elaina chuckled. 

Rangiku immediately squeezed Toushirou in a tight bear hug before asking "can't you hear them? They're plotting to kill me and take over the world!!!"

"Get off me you drunken idiot" Toushirou said in annoyance as Elaina burst out laughing.

"Don't be like that Captain, can't you tell she's desperate" Elaina chipped in with a large grin across her face "clearly this is a serious situation."

"Shut it Dark-Heart!!!" Toushirou commanded.

"But Captain if we don't stop my boobs they'll…" Rangiku began before conking out again and landing on top of her Captain.

Toushirou slammed the palm of his hand into his forehead before saying "Rangiku I swear!!!" he turned to look at her only to realize she was out cold again with a smile on her face, Toushirou could only sigh and roll his eyes as they left the bar.

Elaina kept her eyes on her Captain and Lieutenant as they made their way towards Rangiku's quarters, after they dropped her off Elaina asked "did something happen on that Island?"

"No" Toushirou answered trying to hide a slight blush.

"I can tell you're lying" Elaina replied in clear amusement as they headed towards the office, Toushirou said nothing "come on now Captain, you might as well tell me what happened. If you don't who knows what sort of scandalous rumors might arise given Lieutenant Matsumoto's popularity."

"You wouldn't" Toushirou said sternly.

"How long have you known me again?" Elaina asked smugly.

"She kissed me" Toushirou answered realizing he had lost the battle.

"I'm happy for you" Elaina said earnestly as she patted Toushirou on the back before saying "by the way I was lying to."

"Damn you" Toushirou swore softly which caused Elaina to start laughing to herself before he asked "so how is your arm?"

Elaina rolled up her right sleeve; her arm was covered with several large bruises and she had a couple of bandages wrapped tightly around two spots of her forearm "it's recovered significantly; I still have some bruises and a couple of small cracks but this is nothing compared to after the fight."

"The hollow was that tough?" Toushirou inquired.

"It was solid, to say the least" Elaina sighed "so much so that even with the added power and support from Onitsume that when it was over, my arm was threatening to break in about three or four different places..." she unrolled her sleeve "…thankfully fourth seat Rammyaku was there or my arm probably wouldn't have made it."

"Take it easy on that arm until it heals" Toushirou stated.

"Don't worry, it should be back to 100% in about a week, until then I'll just go left handed" Elaina replied before she rubbed her left hand in his hair and said "I'm touched you were so worried about me though Captain."

Toushirou threw her arm off before saying "one of these days I am going to have you court marshaled!!!"

"Yeah right" Elaina chuckled "on another note where is fourth seat Rammyaku anyway?"

"She received a summons from her grandfather this morning and left to see what it was all about" Toushirou answered.

"Her grandfather?! Wasn't he the one who disowned her from the clan after her parents were killed?" Elaina asked and Toushirou nodded "that can't be good."

"It'll be fine" Toushirou replied "this is something I think she both wants and needs to do."

*With Youmei*

"_How many years has it been?"_ Youmei asked herself as she stood in front of the familiar gates of the manor where she had spent her childhood.

"_It's been a while, that's for damn sure Princess" _her other side replied in a bored tone as the gates opened and one of the servants ushered her through.

"Thank you" Youmei said politely _"Please leave me be for a while Savage."_

"_Okay fine but keep your guard up"_ Savage responded rudely.

"_So many memories…"_ Youmei thought as the stole glances at the castle grounds, she thought back to the days when she would play for hours on end with her mother and father in the many gardens she had to force herself not to cry as she found herself in front of the main hall and the servant ushered her in.

"It's been a long time Youmei" a familiar old man's voice echoed from the middle in front of over a dozen younger leaders of the clan, each of them was adorned in intricate red and gold .

"Thanks to you it has" Youmei replied coldly.

"Watch your words you wretch!!!" one of her Uncles said loudly as he stood up but was silenced as the old man gestured him to be quite.

"I'm not so ignorant to believe that you summoned me here out of concern for my well being" Youmei continued completely ignoring her Uncle "so tell me, what do you want?" the old man sighed in response.

*Squad Ten training grounds*

"Well done everyone" Alexander said to the swarms of students who were covered in sweat and soot as their breathing reached such a harsh pace that they seemed on the verge of collapse.

"Third Seat Dark-Heart, remember your promise?" a young man asked pointing to a large dummy a few feet away from Alexander.

"Don't worry I'll show you all" Alexander assured him as they smiled in anticipation and the marks spread across Alexander's body "a word of warning to all of you, the technique I am about to perform requires a large amount of spirit energy and is incredibly dangerous, I don't want to see or hear any of you attempting to use this spell; because unlike me, you all aren't freaks so you can't get away with all the crazy crap I've pulled…am I understood?"

"Sir" was his reply.

"Aright then" Alexander stated as he turned to his target and pointed his right index and middle finger towards the target at a forty five degree angle from around his stomach and began chanting until finally finishing with "…Hadou 90: Kurohitsugi!!!" the target was immediately consumed in a black box moments later it disappeared, not leaving a trace of the target, almost instantly the watchers began to applaud before he said "dismissed."

"An impressive display" a voice stated as Alexander made his way towards his quarters.

"What brings you here Captain Aizen?" Alexander asked calmly "we're pretty far away from the fifth squad's section of the city for this to be just a small walk."

"I wanted to see how you and the rest of the tenth squad were doing after that last mission" Aizen answered "but with someone who can use Hadou 90 on the scene it's no wonder things went so well and that the casualties were so low."

"With all due respect Captain; for the fifteen soldiers who were killed in action, their friends, and their families that wasn't such a cheap operation" Alexander stated calmly _"in addition I was unable to save Ion…"_

"I guess your right" Aizen replied softly "after hearing about your performance I wanted to ask you something?"

"I'll answer to the best of my abilities" Alexander responded.

"Why did you decline my offer to become my third seat sixty years ago?" Aizen asked "surely you realize that if you had accepted, you most likely would've been made a Lieutenant by now."

"Captain Aizen someone as well loved and virtuous as you really shouldn't be brining dangerous individuals such as myself into your ranks, you have a reputation to uphold after all" Alexander chuckled "besides it's for the best that I'm here in squad ten since our squad's reputation is built on being strange and mysterious but effective."

"I see" was all Aizen could say as he took his leave _"he says all that, I have him under the influence of Kyouka Suigetsu, so why does it feel like he's seeing through everything?"_

"_Sousuke Aizen, you remind me of my father; how he always came across as being so gentle and kind it's hard to believe that he could __**ever**__ do any wrong. Perhaps the years have made me cynical but I just can't believe that it's even remotely possible for someone to actually be so virtuous" _Alexander thought calmly as he arrived at his front door _"what do we have here?"_ he asked himself as he pulled a letter out his door way which had an imprint of a bellflower for a seal _"from the fourth squad, what now?"_ he put his swords away before sitting down at a small table and turning on a reading lamp as he opened the letter.

_Third Seat Dark-Heart_

_After witnessing your past firsthand I thought at the very least I should write you this letter in order to confess my own darkness to you. My hope is that you'll understand just how innocent you really are by comparison. _

"_Captain Unohana?!" _Alexander asked himself.

_I was not born as Retsu Unohana, my real name is Retsu Metsubou_

"_Metsubou?! Captain Unohana is a member of the most ruthless of the four great noble households?!" _Alexander was stunned at what he was reading.

_It all began the day I joined the Thirteen Court Guard Squads…_

_Flashback_

Retsu was standing in front of her squads barracks standing silently with over a dozen of her fellow new recruits, everyone was dressed in their new shinigami uniforms and a few were even fencing with one another to test their skills.

"Say aren't you the princess of the Metsubou clan?" one of the recruits asked, she was a young woman with messy brown hair and brown eyes, she was about a head taller than Retsu but her sudden question had drawn the attention of the entire group, most of them had a disgusted or fearful look on their faces.

"I was" Retsu answered suddenly the girl who had asked her attempted to slice off her head, Retsu quickly pulled out her own sword just in time to block her attack.

"Give them back!!!" the girl commanded.

"What are you talking about?" Retsu asked in utter confusion as she forced her attacker back.

"Give me back my family!!!" she cried as she lunged towards Retsu again only to be brushed aside.

The girl was about to attack Retsu again before an unfamiliar voice chanted "Bakudou 61: Rikujyoukuro" suddenly the girl was slammed by six rods of light "good grief, what in the Hell is the matter with you people?" the same voice asked as she came into view; she appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties, she had dark brown eyes, she wore her long brown hair in a ponytail in front, she was wearing the standard shinigami uniform in addition to a white long sleeved haori with the kanji for four on the back. She walked up to the restrained girl, lifted her up by the back of her uniform, and then proceeded to ask "what the Hell do you think you're doing?! Didn't anyone tell you not to draw your swords unless I tell you to?"

"But Captain, that **thing** is Retsu Metsubou" the girl replied "her household butchered my parents and my little brother to steal our land for their own benefits."

"So it's revenge you're after?" the Captain asked and the girl nodded, less than a second later the Captain shoved her head towards the ground so hard that her kidou shattered and it created a small crater "dumb ass, tell me something was she there when it happened?" the girl only looked at her angrily, the Captain picked her up by the front of her robes with her left hand before focusing spirit energy into her right hand and holding inches away from the girls head "I suggest you answer me."

"No she wasn't there" the girl answered in fear.

"See was that so hard?" the Captain asked sweetly before letting her go "I just hope you realize that logically there's no point in you attacking her than since she wasn't involved" the girl was then surrounded in green light as her injuries began to fade away "if it's revenge you want you should be plotting to kill only the members of her family and their servants who were involved, anything more and you'll just cause even more destruction, you can't even call it revenge" the light faded "is that clear?"

"Yes Captain" the girl answered deciding there was no point in arguing anymore.

"_She's strong, not to mention…direct" _Retsu thought before opening her eyes in shock as the Captain approached her and looked her directly in the eyes "can I help you Captain?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah…" the Captain replied before grabbing Retsu's bangs and pulling her down to her level "…after watching your little skirmish there I've got to ask, why'd you hold back when you could've killed her so easily?" everyone's eyes opened in shock at her statement, especially Retsu "come on with your powers it shouldn't have been a problem even if the whole group attacked you, so why show such mercy?"

Everyone was silent for several seconds before Retsu said "because I detest violence."

"Are you serious?" the captain asked and Retsu nodded, moments later the Captain started laughing as she let go of her bangs "that's hilarious, you don't like violence when violent is literally in your name (In case you didn't know, Retsu means violent). You're a walking contradiction."

"I'm aware of that" Retsu replied solemnly "but I swore to myself that I would never take the life of another person."

"Well in any case, welcome to squad four everybody, as I'm sure you've already guessed I'm your Captain" the captain stated plainly "my name is Chiyu…Chiyu Unohana."

_And from that day forward I served under Captain Unohana, her…forward approached ensured that our squad was always busy, while my family name insured that there would be no shortage of animosity directed towards me. Despite all that I was able to rise through the ranks of squad four without breaking my vow._

Chiyu and Retsu arrived on the scene to find over three dozen shinigami lying on the ground bleeding heavily from their wounds. A few soldiers were down on one knee as they supported themselves with their swords. Retsu saw the girl who had attacked on her first day lying in a pool of her own blood.

"Damn it" Chiyu swore as she took in the sight "there's no way we can save them all!!!"

"Captain please stand back" Retsu requested as she drew her Zanpakutou.

"What the hell are you doing?" Chiyu asked as she took a couple steps back.

"Save them" Retsu chanted as her blade began to glow light green "Minazuki."

Chiyu watched in amazement as he third seat's Zanpakutou appeared to turn into a light green gas before expanding and solidifying into the form of a giant manta-ray like creature. Moments later Minazuki apparently swallowed them one by one as it started glowing light green.

"What is up with that?" Chiyu asked in astonishment.

"This is my Zanpakutou, Minazuki" Retsu began "her belly contains a powerful healing aura which immediately begins to treat anyone she swallows, I can't earnestly say that they'll all make it but hopefully at least a couple lives will be saved that wouldn't have been otherwise" suddenly Minazuki began to rub up on her face affectionately.

"An unusual power" Chiyu commented lightly as she turned to deal with some of the less severely injured soldiers, suddenly she turned to see over a dozen hollows flying right towards them "Damn it" she swore as she reached for her Zanpakutou, but before she could draw her weapon Retsu appeared in front of her with her right arm extended fully and her left hand was holding onto her right forearm.

"Hadou 88: Hiryugekizokushintenraiho" Retsu chanted sending two huge spiraling blasts of pure energy towards the hollows incinerating them on contact.

"Hadou 88, that's incredible Retsu" Chiyu stated earnestly as she stood up.

"Thank you very much" Retsu replied quietly.

Later that evening Retsu and Chiyu found themselves washing their faces from all the sweat of performing surgery on so many people simultaneously.

"Not that I mind healing our troops but it would be nice if we could build a hospital somewhere here in the Seireitei" Retsu sighed heavily "if we did that we could probably cut the causality rates on the battlefield."

"Why stop there?" Chiyu asked earning her Retsu's attention "why not turn an entire squad into a medical support team? If we did that we could exponentially increase the chances of not just our troops surviving battles but the chances of each individual mission being a success."

"Captain what are you getting at?" Retsu asked in surprise.

"For many years I've been planning to turn squad four into a medical support squad with the sole purpose of taking care of injured troops. Unfortunately I can't do it on my own; for this to work I need someone with unparalleled healing abilities" Chiyu explained "which is where you come in, Retsu in all my years as the Captain of this squad I have **never** seen someone with the skills that you have."

"But surely I can't compete with you Captain" Retsu said modestly.

"That's a load of crap" Chiyu chuckled as she held up her Zanpakutou "my sword is incapable of saving lives; whether it's in its sealed form, shikai, or Bankai it can only take life away. But yours is different…" Retsu looked at her own sword "…the way it saved all those patients was amazing I wish I was blessed with such a Zanpakutou."

"_I'm…blessed?"_ Retsu thought to herself _"I wonder about that Captain…"_

"So what do you say?" Chiyu asked "you said you didn't like violence, so this is a good chance for you help create something constructive. Besides if you accept there will be…" she held out a badge with a bellflower and the kanji for four on it "…benefits" Retsu was speechless at the offer "well at least promise me you'll think it over."

"I will" Retsu assured her as she left the room _"she wants me to be her lieutenant…"_

"Third Seat Metsubou" Retsu heard a young voice called out to her, she turned to see the familiar face of the woman who had tried to kill her on their first day, though now she was covered in bandages.

"I don't think you should be walking" Retsu said softly.

The girl ignored her before stating "I just wanted to say thank you…for saving my life…" Retsu had no response "even I can tell that with those injuries, I should be dead right now, but you saved me with that…**unusual** Zanpakutou of yours, so thanks" she looked to the side.

Retsu smiled softly before replying "you're very welcome, now let's get you back to bed, you're wounds will open back up if you push yourself too much."

"Hey did you hear about those villages east of Rukongai?" they heard a shinigami in another room ask.

"Yeah I heard they were wiped out down to every last man, woman, and child before all their valuables had been stolen from their homes" another replied.

"Looks like the Metsubou clan strikes again" the first shinigami stated solemnly causing Retsu to take up "I understand why our third seat disowned herself from that household."

"Third seat?" the brown haired girl asked in concern.

"Let's get you back to bed" Retsu replied trying to pretend that she hadn't heard anything before thinking _"Captain, I'll do it…"_

_End Flashback_

"So that's how the squad four medical core came to be" Alexander sighed as he took another sip of tea, he read through the rest and was surprised at what had been written _"so her existence hasn't been a bed of flowers either"_ he stood up and pocketed the letter _"this damn caste system really is just one headache after the other" _he opened his door _"and I'm willing to bet, I know where and what's she's planning now…"_ he closed it behind him _"…I better make sure she doesn't do anything dangerous or stupid."_

*With Youmei*

"You want me to leave squad ten?!" Youmei asked in shock.

"That's correct" her grandfather replied "if that child captain of yours continues to gain political support from Rukongai he'll become a threat to the Soul Society's Aristocracy, our traditions and our family's social position would come under immense threat if that were to happen."

"So you're asking me to leave my squad for your political gains?" Youmei inquired coldly as she clenched her right fist.

"Now child calm down, we're not asking for charity" the old man stated just as coldly "after rigorous debate the household has decided that if you leave your squad, reject their views, and fight for our clan; we'll restore your position as heir to the head of the Rammyaku clan!!!"

Youmei looked at her grandfather, her Aunts and Uncles, Cousins, and other various family members in shock for a moment before tilting her head down without saying a word.

"Why are you hesitating to answer me?" the old man asked impatiently "if not your squad than what?! What or who **are** you willing to sacrifice to ensure that our way of life continues!?"

"No one" Youmei answered softly but firmly "you people are despicable…you threw me away after my parents were assassinated and now that you feel threatened you're begging me to return so I can protect your own interests."

"Watch your tongue girl, we are your…" the old man tried to state but was cut off.

"You people **are not** family to me" Youmei interrupted as she raised her head to look her grandfather in the eyes "my murdered parents…" memories of her father's gentle smile and her mother's warm embrace "…my squad mates…" she thought of the triumphs she had experienced alongside Toushirou, Rangiku, and her fellow Black Knights "…and the man who helped me believe in myself again after you cast me aside…" the strong image of Byakuya Kuchki flashed through her mind "…they are my **real **family" a few tears began to fall from her eyes.

The entire Rammyaku clan began to whisper to one another in disapproval as they looked at their forsaken family member with contempt.

Youmei ignored them as she said "this archaic caste-system based on wealth and blood ties is nothing more than a false tradition that should be thrown away!!!"

"I see, you're just like your foolish father" the old man replied coldly.

"What are you talking about" Youmei inquired _"I've got a bad feeling about this."_

"You were too young to remember but your father used to say the same things" the old man answered "as my eldest son he was first in line to becoming head of the household after I passed on, but he would always threaten to dissolve our household the moment he was put in charge saying 'this system in an abomination and the Soul Society would do well to see it destroyed'. His rhetoric combined with the fact that he married a Rukongai commoner he met as a child made him a threat not just to the Rammyaku clan but to the entire nobility, and that's why we…"

"That's why you…" Youmei began before her eyes opened in shock "…don't tell me you, you didn't take out a contract against your own son."

"I did" her grandfather confessed "to ensure their demise we had transferred over half the guards stationed around their quarters to various other points in the castle after your parents had fallen asleep, they were under the impression that replacements were on the way. The deal was for them to kill all three of you, however the other you emerged and managed to survive. At that point we deemed it was too risky to go after you directly so we threw you out from the family."

"Is that so?" Youmei asked weakly as she felt pure hatred coursing through her veins, she drew her Zanpakutou before saying "under my authority as the fourth seat of squad ten, you are all under arrest for murder!!!"

"We'll see about that" the old man replied calmly.

Suddenly a figure covered from head to toe in black appeared in front of Youmei holding a katana, the man lunged the tip of his blade straight towards, Youmei quickly grabbed the man's wrist with her right hand and directed the blade away from her before flipping the sword in her left hand and lunging it into the assassin's chest causing a small jet of blood to splatter in her face. A loud psychotic laugh filled the room as dozens more assassins appeared from the shadows Youmei looked at them with an evil expression that reeked of blood lust.

"Sorry Princess" Youmei said sadistically "but I don't feel like dying today, and this looks like it's simply too much fun!!!"

"_Savage…" _was all Princess Youmei could say at the moment as the black figures all made their way towards them.

"Burn them Akakouhi!!!" Savage Youmei commanded as her blade transformed.

*With Retsu*

The Captain of Squad Four found herself standing in the middle of the Central Forty Six Council chamber, all forty six member were eying her from their elevated positions. Her hands were cuffed with special bonds which sealed her spiritual pressure for security reasons.

"So what do you have to report Captain Unohana?" one of the sages asked.

"Based on my observations of the Tenth Squad I have concluded that they are **not** guilty of any wrongdoing" Retsu answered.

"Impossible that boy must be up to something illegal" a female sage half shouted.

"On what grounds?" Retsu asked "unless the Stealth Force discovered something, there is absolutely no reason to be suspicious of Captain Hitsugaya or his subordinates" the entire room was silent, Retsu could tell by their silence that the Stealth Force hadn't found anything solid "are you all afraid of Captain Hitsugaya?"

"Silence!!!" they commanded.

"Judging by your attitude it would seem you've become an accomplice to his schemes" one of the six judges stated.

"That's preposterous" Retsu declared.

"Quite, it's clear we can't trust the words of a blood traitor" another member replied "it would seem we have a traitors among the thirteen captains…kill the blood traitor."

Retsu looked up to see a figure cloaked in black descending on her with his sword drawn _"So I'm a blood traitor?"_ Retsu asked herself as time appeared to slow down to a crawl and her gaze turned towards the blade which would soon end her life

_Flashback_

Retsu was standing outside the Captain's hall eagerly awaiting for her Captain to emerge, she now had the lieutenant's badge for squad four fastened around her left arm. Moments later the door opened several shinigami dressed in white emerged.

"How'd it go Captain Unohana?" Retsu asked eagerly.

Chiyu smiled before saying "the Head Captain approved it."

"That's wonderful Captain" Retsu replied.

"I would like to offer my congratulations as well Captain Unohana" a coarse voice added.

The voices owner had the appearance of an elderly man with a long white beard which nearly hit the ground, he carried what appeared to be a wooden cane, his eyes appeared to be completely shut as if he was asleep, and he wore a long sleeve haori with the kanji for one but he didn't have his arms through the sleeves.

"Thank you Captain Yamamoto" Chiyu said politely "and congratulations on getting your plans for your Spiritual Arts Academy approved. With the training these youngsters are likely to receive we should be seeing fewer rookie casualties once it's been completed."

"I appreciate your confidence" Yamamoto replied.

"A fair word of warning though. If you **ever** release your Ryuujin Jakka in my hospital when we're done…" Chiyu began before gently grabbing Yamamoto robe and her face turned to a more evil expression "…**I swear I'll kill you!!!**"

"I understand" Yamamoto stated calmly.

"As usual your no fun" Chiyu sighed as he walked off to his own division.

"Captain was that necessary?" Retsu asked not knowing what to think of what she had just witnessed.

"I just wanted to lay some ground rules with the old fossil" Chiyu said calmly.

"You might want to be careful, I hear he's in the running to become the next Head Captain" Retsu stated in concern as they began to leave.

"Oh he's the front runner, there's no doubt about that" Chiyu assured her "personally I have concerns."

"Why?" Retsu asked "he's incredibly powerful and he knows the laws and regulation by heart."

"That's the problem he's too by the book" Chiyu answered "one of the reasons the Soul Society is such a mess is because the Central Forty Six is essentially in the pocket of the nobility, it's gotten to the point where they're essentially free to do whatever the Hell they want."

"What can the Head Captain do about it?" Retsu inquired.

"Pressure the bastards" Chiyu stated as if it was the most obvious answer in the world "over ninety percent of the shinigami in the Seireitei view the position of Head Captain with more prestige than the whole damn Central Forty Six. If the Head Captain publically condemned a law from the Central Forty Six it's likely the entire Seireitei would riot in protest."

"You sound as if you wish the Head Captain would try to strong arm the Central Forty Six" Retsu replied.

"Let me just say this; I would rather have some brash youngster who was willing to fight the Central Forty Six if need be as opposed to an old lap dog who didn't have the nerve" was all Chiyu had to say on the topic.

Months past and the fourth squad slowly transitioned into a medical support team, however our squad was still a combat squad so we still had missions to complete, and regrettably we still weren't able to save everyone. The most tragic mission of all came day after we were of finish with the main medical building.

Retsu, Chiyu and several other shinigami arrived on scene at a burning village, dozens of men were lying on the ground bleeding heavily from stab wounds, and much of the ground was dyed red with blood.

"No father, what have you done?!" Retsu gasped at the sight of the slaughter.

"Damn it these people won't last, everyone get yourself a patient and patch them up quick!!!" Chiyu commanded and everyone scattereted.

Retsu and the others began to treat villagers as quickly as they could but all of them seemed to be at deaths door and the overwhelming majority of them expired quickly.

"Shit" Chiyu swore as another villager died.

"Captain Unohana we've got another one here we need you to look at" the girl with messy brown hair ushered her over to a man who appeared to be in his mid forties with short raven black hair which was caked over in blood, his eyes were opened slightly revealing his dark blue orbs, underneath the blood on his face you could make out a cross shaped scar on each cheek and a larger scar draped down his left eye.

"_It can't be!!!"_ Retsu thought in horror "GET AWAY FROM HIM, CAPTAIN UNOHANA, THIRD SEAT…" Retsu was cut off as the man suddenly drove a blade through both their chests, Retsu could only watch in horror as the two women fell to the ground while the sounds of sword swinging filled the air.

"It's been a long time hasn't it my child?" Retsu's father asked as he brushed off the two dead women and stood up before she knew it Retsu was surrounded on all sides by his men "you've become a real problem child, you know that?"

"Tell me why" Retsu demanded as she unsheathed Minazuki and eyed her father with intense hatred, she didn't realize it but tears were pouring from her eyes.

"It would seem your rise through the ranks of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and this little medical project you took up with this shinigami has caused some unrest within the household" her father explained calmly "as you know my approach to leading this clan has always been one of **aggressive **expansion, so I can't have you getting your cousins and siblings too worked up now can I."

"Damn you!!!" Retsu hissed.

"Now now is that how a Princess should talk?" her father asked lightly and his men all snickered before they suddenly felt an incredibly powerful spiritual pressure crushing down on them _"what the Hell?!"_ he thought as he felt the incredible anger, the all consuming hatred, and the bloodlust worthy of a demon threatening to suffocate him; he looked at his daughter to see that it was coming from her and that she was wearing a dangerous expression across her face.

"You'll pay" she said softly as she prepared to hit them with everything she had "BANKAI!!!"

The sound of countless men screaming in unbearable agony filled the sky for what seemed like an eternity to her victims before they dropped dead. This left Retsu alone among all the bodies covered in blood, none of which was hers; moments later she dropped her sword and began to cry in despair.

*Three Weeks Later*

"So the Lieutenant passed the Captain's exam" one member of the fourth squad said to his comrades in the barracks.

"I still can't believe it, we lost Captain Unohana and several of our seated officers in one night" another said as he fought back tears.

"It's all because of that damned Metsubou clan" a young woman cried "we should hunt them down like the animals that they are."

"But the Captain is from that clan and don't forget she killed her own father that night" one last shinigami chipped in "surely they aren't all bad."

Everyone went silent as the doors opened and Retsu stepped through, except she was now wearing her hair in a long braided ponytail in front as opposed to the back just like her predecessor, she also wore a long sleeved haori with the kanji for four on the back.

"Good morning everyone" Retsu said calmly "I assume you've all heard the news, as Captain I intend to continue my predecessor's work in the healing arts, so apart from a few rule changes your duties remain the same."

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened Captain Met…" one soldier began but was quitted almost instantly as Retsu gently raised her left hand.

"It wasn't your fault" Retsu stated calmly "but please remember one thing, it's Captain Unohana now."

_End Flashback_

"_From that day forward I put forth a false persona, a persona known as 'Retsu Unohana', I've tried many times to convince myself that I was saving lives because it's what I truly wanted to do"_ Retsu thought as the figure and black seemed to slowly descend on her _"but the truth is I was really just trying to wash the blood off my hands in a desperate effort to save my own wretched soul…but now after so many long years, I'm finally going to die…"_ she closed her eyes as she waited for the sword to end her life _"farewell Isane, Jyuushiro, Shunsui, and may you find the happiness you deserve for all the pain you've experienced…Alexander Dark-Heart." _

"Don't die" a familiar voice said calmly.

Retsu opened her eyes in shock as a shinigami appeared in front of her, he grabbed the Stealth Force operative's right wrist with his left hand before waving his right across slicing through the man's sword in five different places, he immediately followed it up with a roundhouse kick to the man's stomach sending him crashing into the podiums where he lost consciousness.

"YOU!!!" several members of the Central Forty Six shouted in unison.

"Third Seat Dark-Heart" Retsu stated in disbelief.

"Hi boys and girls, good to see you're all still doing well even after sixty years" Alexander said happily as he flexed his right fingers before turning to Retsu "good evening Captain Unohana, we have got to stop meeting like this" he stated pleasantly as the podiums began to slide back over a dozen yards and half a dozen Stealth Force operatives surrounded the pair. Alexander could only chuckle before saying "alright I'm not busy tonight; I guess I've got time to play with you all."

*With Youmei*

"_DAMN IT!!!"_ Youmei swore to herself as she swung Akakouhi at another assassin only for him to jump away _"WHY CAN'T I HIT THESE BASTARDS?!"_

"_You're too slow, Savage"_ Princess stated calmly.

"_Stay out of this Princess, we both know you're no good in these kinds of life and death situations. And I am going to live even if I have to burn down this castle and kill everyone inside" _Youmei retorted as she barely managed to parry another swordsman _"fine then if this won't work than I'll just have to bring out the heavy artillery…"_ her weapon began to glow with a violent red energy "Ban…"

"_I'm determined to live to" _Princes declared interrupting her more violent self _"I want these people to answer for what they did to my parents, and I want see the Soul Society changed so that a tragedy like that never plays out again."_

"_What do you want?" _Youmei asked as she leapt back as one of them cut the tie on their right braid causing the right side of Youmei's face to be covered by her bangs.

"_Let me handle these people"_ Princess answered.

Youmei could only burst out laughing like a maniac causing her family and even some of the Assassins to look at her in bewilderment and fear.

"So you're finally getting the right attitude, eh Princess?" Youmei asked in clear amusement "fine then, show me what you've got."

"So you've reverted back to your original self" her grandfather stated calmly.

"Strike Aoibara" Youmei chanted before her sword changed into the twin barreled revolver and pointed it into the air towards her first target which was trying to drop down on her, before he even got close a loud bang filled the air and the man plummeted to the ground with a pair of holes in his temple "one down."

Youmei leapt backwards and fired several rounds _"I'll show you all what I've gained from my real family!!!" _she began to chant silently after spotting several Assassin's were huddled together _"this what my older brother taught me!!!"_ an image of Alexander passed through her mind as her right hand began to glow bright yellow "Hadou 63: Raikouhou" the men were unable to dodge in time to avoid being decimated by a large blast of lightning.

The last assassin lunged at her from her right and swung his sword vertically with all his might, Youmei quickly shielded herself with her right arm.

"_That won't do you any good"_ the Assassin thought before his blade made contact with her forearm, but instead of cutting it off he found himself forced back as a loud clank filled the room _"what?!" _Youmei sent him flying with a quick roundhouse kick to his stomach, his eyes darted towards where his sword had cut through her robe to see a metallic shine coming from beneath the fabric _"an arm guard?!"_ his chain of thought was brought to an abrupt end as a loud bang echoed throughout the hall and a pair of projectiles shot through his forehead, he was dead before he even hit the ground.

"_Thank you for advising me to use that and teaching me some of your hand to hand techniques, Elaina" _Youmei thought gratefully as she turned to her grandfather and the other heads of the Rammyaku clan who were now wearing expression of genuine fear.

"This can't be" the old man gasped "this isn't how it is supposed to end!!!"

"I know…" Youmei stated coldly "…I'm sure that none of you want to die now" she raised Aoibara and pointed the barrels straight at the old man before raising her face to reveal the expression of rage spread across her face and the tears pouring from her eyes "but you see…MY PARENTS NEVER EVEN GOT THE CHANCE TO SAY THAT!!!" light seemed to be gathering at the tips of Aoibara's barrels before turning blue as Youmei calmly chanted "Aoisuto-mu (blue storm)" countless shots of blue energy seemed to fire off from the barrels at once striking each family member simultaneously in dozens of spots, when the barrage finally ended they were all lying dead in a pool of their own blood. Youmei gently waved Aoibara turning it back into a sword before sheathing and saying "good bye and good riddance" as she left "I'm off to help my son become the next Head Captain."

*With Retsu and Alexander*

"It would seem you're in quite the jam Captain Unohana" Alexander said lightly "by the way this was a very interesting letter" he gestured to the envelope sticking out of his robe.

"How did you find me here?" Retsu asked in confusion.

Alexander reached behind her head with his right hand and pulled out a very slim black crystal "I planted this on you when I rescued you from that spider hollow, it emits a very faint wave of spiritual pressure which is why you never noticed it; I figured that since you were involved with a mission from the Central Forty Six you might be in danger if they didn't like what you had to report, unfortunately it would seem I was right."

"Hurry let's take them while his back is turned" one of the guards ordered as he and several other leapt towards the pair of shinigami.

"Useless" Alexander stated calmly, moments later the Stealth Force operatives were thrown back and most of their swords were left in six individual pieces, he looked towards the nearest roster before saying "if this is all you've got you should just cut your losses and let us go. Your only other options are the hard way and my way, which are essentially the same thing."

"We've made some additions since the last time you were here demon" a male voice echoed as a large portion of the floor opened revealing a shinigami the size of a small house with an equally large Zanpakutou on his back.

"Wow I'm actually impressed, you managed to get a gatekeeper in here for security" Alexander replied as he clapped softly "a few decades ago and I might have been worried."

"Tough talk little man" the giant stated as he raised his Zanpakutou and Alexander drew Kokuhyou "it would seem you've forgotten that a Zanpakutou's size reflects the strength of its wielder" he swung down on the smaller shinigami "meaning there's no way that tooth pick of yours can beat me…" he was cut off by a loud screech as his sword literally split down the middle all the way to the guard, the giant was speechless as the dust cleared revealing Alexander and Retsu to be unharmed.

"For the record I was there for that lesson" Alexander assured the giant, who was completely speechless at what he was seeing "but it would seem that no one ever bothered to tell you that all captain class shinigami suppress the size of their Zanpakutou…" the giant's eyes popped open in shock at the man's words suddenly Alexander appeared on top of his left shoulder "…if we didn't do that, then we'd be stuck carrying around swords the size of skyscrapers" the giant could only watch in terror as the back of Kokuhyou's blade slammed into his face knocking him unconscious before Alexander leapt off and landed next to Retsu.

"DAMN YOU" many of the Central Forty Six swore.

"Third Seat…" Retsu began.

"Feel free to call me Alex" Alexander cut her off.

Retsu was silent for a moment before asking "Alex, why are you here? Did Captain Hitsugaya or someone ask you to rescue me?"

Alexander simply smirked before replying "nope, no one has given me any orders involving this…gathering down here. The simple truth is that this intervention…" another operative rushed towards them, Alexander quickly sidestepped him and slammed the bottom of Kokuhyou's handle into his stomach sending him flying back "…is my decision alone."

"Get reinforcements in here now!!!" several members of the Central Forty Six commanded.

"One problem, I kind of knocked most of them out already" Alexander stated in clear amusement as only a few men entered the chamber and he felt the angry glares he was receiving from various ancients that composed the Central Forty Six "Speaking of my Captain I was wanting to ask you guys something, what the Hell did you do to him to make him want to die?"

"We do not answer to you!!! Guards get rid of this vermin!!!" was the only reply they got.

"I see" Alexander sighed as dozens of soldiers surrounded them "you know Captain when I came down here I said to myself 'I really don't want it to come to this', but damn it these people are stubborn" Alexander drew Nehan from her sheath "oh well I guess this is a good chance for the Central Forty Six to be reminded of why they should fear the captain class shinigami…" all of the guards rushed towards them from all sides at once "…Bankai!!!"

"_Incredible"_ Retsu thought as she saw all the guards and members of the Central Forty Six fall to the ground as a result from the crushing spiritual pressure, Retsu lookedtowards her wrists in shock _"I still have on the cuffs to seal away my spiritual pressure, in other words I'm currently just as weak as any normal human in the world of the living. I should be getting ground into dust by this power, and yet I don't feel a thing"_ she looked towards Alexander who was standing still and not even holding his weapon up _"this is quite the power he's gained and it's so controlled."_

"That shall conclude our lesson for the day" Alexander informed the room as his Bankai vanished and he sheathed his swords, he looked at Retsu's hands before saying "oh yeah, I forgot" one wave of his claws and the shackles shattered "by the way, a colleague of mine went to visit her family today, considering her relationship with them things may have gotten out of hand; I just wanted to tell you all that she is to be acquitted of **any** charges, you understand?" the hatred from the sages and judges was palpable "good to see your ears are working, just do what I ask and I **won't **have touse you people for fireworks" he kicked open the doors "shall we take our leave Captain Unohana?"

Retsu could only nod as they made their way out "you were brought to them before?"

"Yeah after the incident in Berlin they decided to have me executed for having two different Zanpakutou, the good news is that they didn't consider me enough of a threat to seal my spiritual pressure so I was able to kill their guards and after that I implanted each of them with a Dark Soul Crystal, effectively turning them all into remote controlled bombs" he answered "the only reason I didn't kill them was because it would've thrown the Soul Society into chaos, it might even have led to a civil war."

"Let me get this straight, you took the entire Central Forty Six hostage?!" Retsu asked in genuine surprise.

"It was an easy choice since the only other option was dying" Alexander replied with clear amusement.

"Why did you save me?" Retsu asked "I was prepared to die, to atone for my sins."

"What sins?" Alexander inquired bluntly "sure you're father was a scumbag but you didn't do anything wrong. I'm sure you know this but this whole 'guilt by association' is a pretty weak argument."

"But I'm a life taker" Retsu replied.

"Let's see about that" Alexander chuckled as he grabbed Retsu's hands causing her to blush slightly in confusion "you have very soft hands Captain, they're very smooth and warm; they're nothing like my hands which have been forever caked in the blood of all the innocent lives I ended in life."

"That's too one sided" Retsu declared "you were manipulated into fighting as a child soldier of the Warlock Clan, by your own father no less. And you more than made up for your sins when you defied him and saved Washington D.C. While I just pretend to be the kind-hearted motherly figure of the Fourth Squad, the truth is I'm only doing it to try to make myself feel better."

"That's not true" Alexander stated "the kind of kindness and gentleness you generate is simply impossible to fake without some sort of strange kidou."

"But I'm constantly feeling these dark urges" Retsu replied.

"That's called being human, where do you think that little stunt I pulled with Lieutenant Kusajishi came from?" Alexander inquired "sometimes you need to fulfill those urges, or else the stress of daily life will just keep building up until it crushes you. Sometime you've got to just decide to do what you want, when you want, why you choose, and to say to anyone who doesn't approve that you don't answer to them."

"_He has a point master"_ Minazuki whispered to her.

Retsu smirked slightly "you're an interesting man Alex."

"I guess we both need to stop beating ourselves up so much" Alexander replied.

"I think you're right" Retsu concurred, suddenly her stomach began to growl.

"Ah the empty stomach, another part of being human" Alexander chuckled as he felt his do the same "I know of a good restaurant nearby, would you like to get something to eat Captain Unohana?"

Retsu was silent for a moment before saying "please call me Retsu and I'd love to."

"Okay follow me Retsu" Alexander replied before Retsu removed her haori and folded it up before tucking it under her kimono "what are you doing?" she removed her hair tie causing her hair to flow out naturally _"wow!"_

"Fulfilling a couple of those urges you just got done telling me about" Retsu answered before pulling him into a kiss.

*With Toushirou*

Toushirou was standing in the middle of a frozen meadow within the Seireitei, he had his Bankai out and was struggling to fine tune his control over it.

"_You're getting close master"_ Hyourinmaru assured him _"just a little further…"_

Suddenly Toushirou's Bankai shattered "damn it" the young Captain swore _"I still can't use it, it's too dangerous."_

"Captain what are you doing here?" Rangiku asked in concern as she appeared from behind the bushes.

Toushirou ignored her question and asked "what are you doing here Rangiku?"

"Checking up on you" Rangiku stated as if it was the dumbest question in the world "what else am I supposed to do when I sense my Captain's spiritual pressure is fluxing like crazy?"

"I'm fine Rangiku" Toushirou stated bluntly.

"Hey now don't be like that" Rangiku replied angrily as she grabbed him by the front of his robe "I'm missing out on some quality drinking time because I was worried about you, you should be nicer Captain."

Toushirou ignored her outburst and instead asked "why do you drink so much Rangiku" to his surprise Rangiku's eyes popped open at the question and she let go of his robes, Toushirou saw a very hurt expression on her face and decided to say "never mind I'm sorry, there's no reason for you to answer that."

"When I was a little kid in Rukongai…" Rangiku began which immediately drew Toushirou's attention "…I would loaf around from one area to another in search of food. Most of the people I met didn't feel much sympathy for an orphaned girl like me so I would often be forced to go without food. Then one day when I collapsed from hunger, he came into my life…"

"Who's 'he'?" Toushirou asked.

"Captain Ichimaru" Rangiku answered causing Toushirou to step back in shock "he gave me some food and saved my life, after that he became the first friend I ever had…however he would often leave for long periods of time without telling me where he was going or how long he would be away, the truth is it tore my heart up inside."

"_Damn him"_ Toushirou thought.

"This continued for years on end until I eventually found out that he had been named the third seat of squad five" Rangiku continued "it turns out he had spent an entire year away from me to become a shinigami and like all the other times he had disappeared I followed him and became a shinigami as well. I had hoped that since we were both part of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads we would finally bridge the gap that had always divided us, but no matter what I tried it seemed that it would only grow wider still" Toushirou took a solemn expression of his own "eventually I decided to give up on him and drawn out my problems in liquor."

"I'm sorry Rangiku" was all Toushirou could say.

"So why are you out here?" Rangiku asked inquisitively.

"_I guess it's only fair"_ Toushirou thought before asking "have you ever noticed how my Shikai causes the weather to change, but my Bankai doesn't?"

"I was curious about that" Rangiku stated.

"Well the property that allows Hyourinmaru to control the weather is a power called Tenso Jurin; when I release my Shikai it allows me to blacken the skies and create a snowstorm within my immediate area" Toushirou explained.

"And when you use your Bankai?" Rangiku inquired.

"I'm not entirely sure yet" Toushirou admitted "as you know my powers aren't fully matured yet, and my Bankai is still incomplete; right now I'm sure I could control it."

"So you're afraid of your own power" Rangiku stated.

"Can you blame me?!" Toushirou asked "if I lost control of that power in Bankai mode, who knows how many people could wind up dead in the resulting blizzard?!"

"Sometimes your too mature for your own good" Rangiku said in amusement Toushirou was about to reply when she put a finger to his lips and said "but that's not entirely a bad thing" she gave him a kiss on the lips.

*Squad Five Head Quarters*

"So wha did ya want ta see us fer, Captain Aizen" Gin asked as he and Kaname appeared.

"Rukia Kuchki of squad thirteen has gone missing in the world of the living in a certain city" Aizen said with a clear sense of satisfaction in his voice.

"Couldn't she just be dead?" Kaname asked.

"No she's still been reporting in via her soul pager so she's alive and well" Aizen assured his blind accomplice.

"So then that mean's" Kaname stated and Aizen nodded.

"That's right Kisuke Urahara has finally made his move" Aizen answered.

"So then wir gonna make ours" Gin stated.

"That's right, now sit down I need to tell you how we're going to take the Hogyoku for ourselves" Aizen commanded.

"_Sorry Ran, but it looks like I'm going to be leaving again…take good care of her kid" _Gin thought as Aizen began to explain his plans.

Author's Notes: after months of insanity and hard work I've finally managed to get this done, sorry again about the long wait, hopefully I'll be able to update sooner next time. Next chapter is my version of the Soul Society Arc.

Please leave me a review and visit my profile to vote in my poll if you haven't done so already. And of course stay alive or I'll kill you.


	18. Grim Reality

Author's Notes: Not much to say beyond the usual except it's Soul Society Arc Time Ladies and Gentlemen.

Please read and review

By the way if you think I own Bleach or Devil May Cry, you're crazier than I am.

**Ch. 18 Grim Reality**

"Here are the reports you asked for Captain" Rangiku stated as she handed Toushirou some documents.

"Thank you" Toushirou replied.

"It was no trouble" was all Rangiku said in response as she left the office.

_"Is she alright?"_ Toushirou asked himself as his fifth and fourth seats entered.

"Good morning Captain" Youmei said courteasouly.

"Thank you, would either of you happen to know what's wrong with Rangiku?" Toushirou responded.

"Oh that, well you see sir she asked us for some help with materializing her Zanpakutou so she could try to reach Bankai" Youmei answered "the problem is that she has some serious **friction** with Haineko."

"Friction?" Toushirou asked.

"I think it'll be easier for me to just show him than for you to explain" Elaina stated lightly as she walked up to Toushirou and grabbed his arm.

"Oh Okay then" was Youmei's only reply.

"What are you doing Dark-Heart?" Toushirou asked in clear annoyance.

"Oh relax this won't take long" Elaina assured him as she pulled him out with a few shunpo.

"Why are we at your apartment now?" Toushirou asked wanting to know just what the Hell his twisted fifth seat had in store for him.

"A visual aid" Elaina answered before asking "do you know what the name 'Haineko' means?"

"Ash Cat" Toushirou stated.

"Exactly, Lieutenant Matsumoto's Zanpakutou spirit is basically a cat-woman from what she told me" Elaina expanded "and all cats tend to share a few common traits such as laziness, fickleness, and self-absorption…sound like anyone we know?"

"Rangiku has a side **exactly** like that" Toushirou admitted "so what?"

"Well that's why I brought you here" Elaina answered as she opened her apartment door and ushered him in "you need to see what happens when two personalities like that encounter one another."

"What the hell?" was all Toushirou could say as two blobs seemed to fly right past the door way before tumbling into a nearby sofa revealing them to be two cats, one had long orange hair and blue eyes, while the other had short brown fur and green eyes. Moments later they were hissing at each other and their fur was standing on end before they began lunging at each other again.

"The brown cat is a stray I found while on duty in Rukongai about a week ago" Elaina explained "the thing is I already had the orange one, so when I got a new one I started a process known as 'cats getting used to each other' and they've been going at it ever since."

The two cats continued to attack each other and crashed into just about every piece of furniture in sight "while this is fascinating I'd like to know what your point is?" Toushirou responded.

"My point is that this is essentially what Lieutenant Matsumoto's relationship with Haineko is like" Elaina stated with blatant amusement "as you can imagine, there's a little angst between the two."

Toushirou was silent for several moments before saying "I've seen enough."

"I guess you get the picture" Elaina chuckled as they walked out and she locked her door, the sound of two cats being thrown about the room still echoed softly.

"_Rangiku, you are just too much…"_ was all Toushirou could think as he noted a wide grin on his fifth seat's face.

"By the way did you hear?" Elaina asked causing Toushirou to look at her puzzled "Rukia Kuchki has been arrested."

"For what?" Toushirou inquired _"odd, the Rukia I worked with always seemed to follow the rules and regulations without any problems."_

"Apparently she gave her powers to a human in the world of the living" Elaina answered "I don't know all the details but knowing her she wouldn't have done it except as a last resort."

*With Rangiku*

"What surprises me is just how strong this boy supposedly grew over the few months that he had these powers" Rangiku told Youmei as they walked the halls of squad ten "apparently he managed to scare off a Menos Grande."

"That's incredible" Youmei replied "so what happened to this human?"

*Squad Four Main Office*

"Apparently he was killed when they went to apprehend Miss Kuchki" Retsu explained as she drank a hot cup of tea.

"I guess I should expect nothing less from the Stealth Force" Alexander sighed "those guys are completely cutthroat."

"It wasn't the Stealth Force that was sent out" Retsu corrected him "it was Captain Kuchki and Lieutenant Abarai of squad Six."

"So that's why you wanted to talk to me" Alexander replied.

"What do you make of it Alex?" Retsu asked.

"It's **very** strange to say the least, to send a Lieutenant **and** a Captain to apprehend a shinigami who isn't a Captain or a Lieutenant themselves is incredibly unusual; especially when you consider that given the time between when she gave this human her powers and when they were sent out to capture her, at most she could be expected to pose as much of a threat as a new recruit" Alexander answered "I don't see any reason why they couldn't have left it to the Stealth Force."

"I agree" Retsu replied.

"By the way has she been sentenced yet?" Alexander inquired.

*Back with Elaina and Toushirou*

"She was sentenced to death?!" Toushirou asked in bewilderment and Elaina nodded _"this is strange…normally when a shinigami is convicted for transferring their powers to a human, at most they'll receive two or three decades in prison. But Central Forty Six is actually planning to execute her? There must be more to this than they're letting on…Did Dark-Heart's little stunt a few months ago push them over the edge?!...No if that was the case they would've responded much quicker than this…"_

"I see I'm not the only one who's suspicious" Elaina stated calmly "tell me Captain. Do you think we have a rat in the Seireitei?"

Toushirou was silent for a few moments before he said "the situation is still too premature for us to make any moves yet, but we'll definitely want to keep our eyes open in case there is a rat, or worse **rats**."

"I understand" Elaina replied.

"Toushirou what are you doing here?" Momo asked as emerged from an apartment a few doors down "and why did you just come out of your fifth seat's quarters?!"

"_Oh hell no"_ Toushirou thought as he saw a wide smirk spread across her face.

"Wow Captain, you sure do have a lot of energy" Elaina said suggestively "I'm so proud of you, I mean who would think you had it in you to take advantage of your rank like that."

"Shut it Dark-Heart!!!" Toushirou hissed _"damn she's sadistic!!!"_

"How could you?" Momo asked as she forced back a blush.

"Look this not what it looks or sounds like" Toushirou answered as he rubbed his hand.

"Then what **was **it that you were doing in **her **apartment?" Momo inquired.

Elaina immediately began to laugh hysterically at the Captain and the Lieutenant's bickering "you guys are too much."

"Damn you" Toushirou swore in clear annoyance.

"Okay I'm confused" Momo stated.

"I was kidding Lieutenant" Elaina chuckled happily "we didn't do anything in my room I was just showing him something to help him understand Lieutenant Matsumoto's problems with her Zanpakutou."

"You really are troublesome, you know that?" Toushirou replied.

"I'm sorry, but that was just too good an opportunity to waste" Elaina explained "between your short temper and the Lieutenants gullibility I just couldn't resist" Toushirou was annoyed and Momo was speechless "see you later" she disappeared with a shunpo.

"I've known her for years and I still can't believe her!!" Toushirou said through gritted teeth.

"Why did you recruit her into your squad exactly?" Momo asked.

"I needed some strong subordinates" Toushirou answered "and unfortunately the only people available were completely crazy."

"That's putting it mildly" Momo replied.

"Captain Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Hinamori I have an urgent mission for you both" a voice quickly stated as its owner appeared before them on one knee.

"_Stealth force, what the Hell is going on now?"_ Toushirou asked himself "we're listening."

"Sir several ryouka just attempted to infiltrate the Seireitei through the west gate" the man explained "they succeeded in overpowering the guardian Jidanbou."

"_Jidanbou was defeated by ryouka?!"_ Toushirou thought in shock "where are they now?"

"Unknown sir, the last eye witness accounts have them being forced out the gate by Captain Ichimaru immediately after they entered" the agent answered causing the Captain's eyes to pop open in surprise.

"I understand, your dismissed" Toushirou replied coldly.

"Sir" the agent said respectfully before vanishing.

"What's wrong Toushirou?" Momo asked.

"Nothing, I hope" Toushirou answered "I need to go" he disappeared with a shunpo leaving Momo standing there in confusion _"The West Gate is stationed within Squad Nine's section of the city, so what the Hell was Gin doing there when in that situation he should've been with his own squad guarding the East Gate in case of multiple waves?" _he thought as he arrived in front of his own office, he ignored Rangiku as he sat back in his chair and wondered _"then theres the fact that these ryouka got away from him alive…I hope I can get some answers at the Captain's meeting."_

*With Retsu and Alexander*

"This is quite an unusual situation" Retsu stated.

"Agreed" Alexander concurred _"What I'm wondering about is where was Captain Tousen when all this was going on? And to have another Captain show up in his section of the city in the middle of an emergency…something isn't right." _

"I'll see if anything interesting comes up at the Captain's meeting" Retsu assured him "though I'm sure your Captain will be looking into this as well."

"I appreciate it" Alexander replied "I better get back to my squad, if we really have a rat in the Seireitei things could get messy."

"Just promise me you won't go looking for trouble" Retsu requested.

"Even if I don't go looking for trouble Retsu…" he kissed her on the lips "…trouble will wind up hunting me down anyway, but I'll do my best to be careful" Alexander assured her.

"I guess that'll have to do" Retsu sighed as he left her hospital.

"Do you think it's true?" Retsu heard a girl ask from behind a corner.

"Please there's no way Captain Unohana would be dating that crazy Third Seat from Squad Ten" another girl's voice replied.

"_This should be good"_ Retsu thought as she turned the corner to see two of her subordinates chatting.

"I mean she's so dignified and he's so dark and twisted, it's just not possible that she'd go out with him" she continued when suddenly her friend froze up "what's wrong?" she froze herself when she felt a hand gently grab her shoulder.

"My who are we talking about?" Retsu asked softly even though she knew the answer to that question.

"Ca…Captain Unohana, we didn't see you there" the first one said as she took a step back in shock while her friend seemed to immobilize on the spot "how are you this morning?"

"It isn't nice to talk about people behind their backs" Retsu explained calmly before blinking and looking at them both darkly "It's incredibly rude."

Both of them yelped in fear before running off "We're very sorry Captain, we won't do it again."

"_He was right, sometimes answering those…urges just makes stress melt away"_ Retsu thought in amusement.

*The Captain's Meeting*

"What do you have to say for yourself Ichimaru?" Yamamoto asked sternly.

"Nuttin" Gin replied causing the old man to open his eyes "what is there ta say? I made I a lil mistake, so I can't be excused."

"_That does it"_ Toushirou thought sternly _"I need to know just what the Hell he was doing at the West Gate!"_

"Wait a minute Ichimaru" Aizen said calmly "I have something I want to ask you" Gin looked at him darkly.

"INTRUDER ALERT, INTRUDER ALERT!!!" an alarm sounded loudly "ALL SQUADS REPORT TO YOUR STATIONS IMMEDIATELY!!!"

"_Damn it, why now of all times?!"_ Toushirou swore to himself.

"Very well then, we'll continue this discussion another time, all squads are to heed the alarm and tend to their posts" Yamamoto commanded.

"The warning sure came at a convenient time for you" Aizen said calmly as his coconspirator walked up to him.

"Beg ya pardon?" Gin replied.

"You don't think you'll get away with this do you? Remember don't underestimate me Gin" Aizen warned _"what in __**were**__ you doing at the East Gate? Kaname was supposed to be covering it, you've drawn unnecessary attention to yourself"_ he left the hall preparing to put on his façade in front of Momo and his squad he saw the young Captain of Squad Ten from the cornor of his eye.

"Ya always tha same, ya wouldn want ta miss tha last alarm would ya? Because soon ya'll neva be able ta hear it again" Gin said calmly before pretending to ignore the Captain of Squad Ten and walking out _"I hope you've grown stronger the last couple of decades."_

"_What the Hell was that about?"_ Toushirou asked himself as he left for his own squad, when he arrived he found Rangiku and his troops looking up into the sky where a bright orb of light appeared to be piercing through the barrier created by the Seki Seki Stone walls _"to top it all off the only thing I've learned about Rukia Kuchki's execution is that she's not only going to be put to death sooner than normal but she's going to be executed with the Soukyoku…"_

"Well there's something you don't see every day, even in this line of work" Elaina said calmly as it busted through.

"How is that even possible?" Rangiku asked in amazement "I thought the barrier was impenetrable."

"It would seem we've been proven wrong" Alexander replied "my guess is they most have some sort of strange device that allowed them to do that…take a look at it now" the ball seemed to split into four "it seems this device still has a few bugs to work out."

"Indeed" Toushirou stated calmly _"the strange circumstances surrounding Rukia Kuchki's execution, Gin's unusual behavior, the timing and obvious strength of these Ryouka…I don't know how, but theres no way they aren't all connected somehow…"_

"What should we do sir?" Youmei asked "it doesn't appear that any of them will be landing in our section of the city."

"I want all squad members to fan out" Toushirou began "I don't care where you have to go or what you have to do, but bring me at least one of those Ryouka alive."

"Yes sir" the tenth squad said in sync before rushing off in various directions.

"Captain?" Rangiku said curiously.

"Something's not right about all this, I'm sorry but I may need your help" Toushirou stated "can I count on you Rangiku?"

"Of course" was all Rangiku could say in response.

*The next morning*

"Did you kill him?" Orihime asked as she looked at the shinigami who was lying face down on the rooftop where they were standing.

"No, the points that I hit were his soul chain and soul sleeve, the sources of all spiritual pressure" Uryuu answered as his bow disappeared and he adjusted his glasses "he's going to live, but when he wakes up, he'll no longer possess the powers of a shinigami, and that's good enough for me."

"I guess your right" Orihime chuckled, suddenly another shinigami appeared behind her holding her Zanpakutou in her left hand.

"ORIHIME GET DOWN!!!" Uryuu shouted before firing another arrow as fast as he could, forcing the shinigami back "are you alright?" he asked as checked on Orihime.

"Yah, I'm fine" Orihime replied _"that's the second time I didn't notice that I was in danger…"_

"Who are you?!" Uryuu asked angrily as he pointed his bow at the female shinigami.

"Squad Ten Fourth Seat, Youmei Rammyaku" Youmei answered.

"_Another Fourth Seat?"_ Uryuu thought as he looked at her intently _"same rank, but she's clearly miles ahead of the last one, just what the Hell is up with the Shinigami and how they rank their members?!"_

"Please, I don't want to kill you, come with me quietly and I won't have to hurt either of you" Youmei requested.

"Is that so?" Uryuu asked as he rematerialized his bow "I'm sorry but we can't allow ourselves to be caught."

"I see" Youmei replied as she held her sword vertically with her arm completely outstretched "then you leave me no choice, Strike Aoibara."

"_A gun?!"_ Uryuu thought as he fired an arrow at his opponent who countered it with a single squeeze of the trigger _"I've got to draw the line of fire away from Orihime!!!"_ he quickly moved away using Hirenkyaku and fired another arrow from her right.

"_He's attacking me from my weakest angle, on top of that he's drawing the line of fire away from the girl…"_ Youmei thought as she countered with another blast _"…this kid's pretty smart."_

"_This is bad, she didn't even move"_ Uryuu thought in his mind as he readied his bow again.

"I must say I'm impressed" Youmei stated causing both Orihime and Uryuu to look at her in surprise "I've never heard of a human who could use Spirit Particles to form a weapon and possesses a technique that allows them to compete with our Shunpo; tell me young man are you by any chance part of some sort of tribe?"

"I'm a Quincy" Uryuu answered harshly "and I'm the last one thanks to the shinigami."

"I see" Youmei replied before using a shunpo to appear right in front of him and blasting him in his left shoulder, moments later he fell to his knees.

"_Damn it!!! With my left arm in this shape I won't be able to form a bow!!!"_ Uryuu swore in his mind.

"Don't worry, I won't take your life" Youmei assured him as she pointed her weapon at his head "this will only knock you out for a few hours."

"Hinagiku, Baigon, Lily; Santen Kesshun I Reject!!!" Orihime chanted loudly as a barrier appeared between Uryuu and Youmei just before a loud bang filled the air and a small dent appeared in the shield causing Orihime to sigh in relief.

"Now this is an unusual power" Youmei stated in clear surprise as she turned to the girl and pointed her gun towards her "are you from some special tribe as well?"

"_Not good, I shielded Uryuu but Tsubaki was damaged against that last shinigami"_ Orihime thought in a sudden panic _"is there __**anything**__ I can do to stop her?!"_

"Orihime we have to run now!!!" Uryuu declared as he appeared in front of her before wrapping his right arm around her and fleeing with Hirenkyaku.

"I can't let you kids escape" Youmei stated calmly as her spiritual pressure began to rise, suddenly she heard a loud yelp, she turned to the injured shinigami _"damn if I use any more spiritual pressure I might kill him."_

"_Relax Princess, it's only Jiroubou Ikanzaka of Squad Seven, no one cares"_ Savage suggested evilily.

"_That's enough out of you Savage"_ Youmei said harshly to her other side before sighing "I guess I need to call in Squad Four…"

*With Orihime and Uryuu*

"Thanks for shielding me Orihime" Uryuu said gratefully as he felt the wound on his shoulder begin to heal _"these powers of her truly are extraordinary…"_

"Oh it's no trouble, after all you saved me twice back there" Orihime chuckled "tell me Uryuu, wasn't there something odd about that shinigami?"

"Yeah, for some reason she seemed to want to bring us in alive and she was apparently holding herself back to try and do it…" Uryuu answered "…judging by the fact that both shinigami were of the same rank and yet there was such a difference between them would seem to indicate that we can't judge their combat levels solely on their rank…" Uryuu sighed heavily "…this could get messy." 

"Then why don't we get our hands on some of their robes?" Orihime asked "that way we won't have to fight anyone."

"That's…a great idea actually" Uryuu admitted _"come to think of it we should've seen if that man Kisuke had any we could use before we left…"_

*Squad Ten Main Office a few days later*

"Judging from the reports from the other squads and what Youmei encountered there are a total of five ryouka" Rangiku explained as the five highest ranking officers in their squad took over a map of the Seireitei with several red pins to indicate where the intruders had been spotted and where they had last been engaged in combat "apparently one of the intruders is an extremely tall young man dressed in a pink shirt who can turn his right arm into some sort of weapon like Elaina."

"Damn, now I don't feel as original" Elaina pouted.

"Currently the most active is a group of two who have wreaking havoc within squad Eleven; one is apparently dressed in strange garments with a green jacket who managed to defeat Squad Eleven's Fifth Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa using some strange Fire Works for a weapon" Toushirou continued ignoring Elaina's comment "while the other appears to be a young shinigami with short spiky orange hair and a Zanpakutou as long as his body; so far he's defeated Ikkaku Madarame of Squad Eleven and as well as dozens of their squad's foot soldiers, and just last night he managed to defeat Lieutenant Renji Abarai of Squad Six…"

"I take it this is why the War Exemption went into effect last night" Alexander stated and his Captain nodded _"things have gotten way out of hand here…"_

"Youmei" Toushirou said calmly drawing his fourth Seat's attention "what can you tell me about the Ryouka you encountered?"

"There were two as Lieutenant Matsumoto mentioned earlier, one boy and one girl, both appeared to be between fifteen and seventeen years old in human years" Youmei began "the boy wore a strange white outfit with light blue linings, he wears a pair of square glasses and his hair in two large bangs with the rest of it cut short, and he uses Spirit Particles to move around at speeds that rival Shunpo and to create bows and arrows; a Quincy I believe is what he called himself…"

"_So, they're not extinct after all"_ Toushirou thought.

"While the girl had long red hair and rather large eyes" Youmei continued "she had a pink shirt and grey sweat pants, and though I didn't get a good look at her powers she displayed some…unique abilities."

"Clearly these aren't normal Ryouka" Rangiku stated calmly before asking "but isn't it odd? For all the damage they've caused and all the fights they've engaged in, no one's been killed yet on either side."

"It would seem these kids aren't out to kill anyone" Alexander concurred "but that still doesn't explain what they're after…"

"I don't know the answer to that but there's one thing that's bugging the Hell out of me" Elaina said in clear concern earning her the attention of her superiors "when they first broke through the barrier we confirmed that they split into four groups right?" her colleagues nodded "so far we've only accounted for three of those groups if you count the one guy who appears to be on his own" they all seemed to catch on to what she was getting at "in my opinion we should assume that there is at least a Sixth Ryouka out there who's somehow managed to avoid detection up to this point."

"Agreed" Toushirou replied "in any case my orders haven't; the good news is that the War Exemption should make it easier for all of you to travel about the city without arising any suspicion."

"Understood" the three seated officers stated in understanding as they stood up and left.

"Captain who **are** these ryouka?!" Rangiku asked as she rubbed her forehead from her favorite couch.

"I don't know" Toushirou answered before turning towards the exit himself "I'm heading out for a little bit, keep an eye on things around here until I get back."

"Sure thing" Rangiku replied.

"_I don't want to get Momo involved in all of this, but I should at least warn her to stay be careful around Squad Three"_ Toushirou told himself as he closed the door behind himself _"If I'm lucky I'll get the chance to talk to Captain Aizen about Gin's strange behavior…"_

*The next morning*

"CAPTAIN AIZEN!!!" Momo shrieked as she saw the body of her beloved leader hanging from a wall countless stories above with blood still dripping from his injury, she could only fall to her knees at the sight as her fellow Lieutenants appeared behind her.

"Impossible" was all Tetsuzaimon could say at the sight before him.

"He was murdered?!" Rangiku gasped as Shuuhei stood next to her speechless and Izuru tried to comfort his former classmate.

"My what's all tha ruckus bout? Gin asked as he appeared from the shadows and looked up to see Aizen's 'body' "tha certainly is a tragedy."

"_Listen to me Momo, be careful of Squad Three…"_ Toushirou's warning echoed through Momo's mind _"…especially if you see Captain Aizen go out walking alone…"_

"_My, Aizen you really pulled out all the stops with this little stunt of yours"_ Gin thought to himself as he made sure to maintain his own composure.

"IT WAS YOU!!!" Momo shouted as she charged towards Gin and drew her Zanpakutou only to be intercepted by Izuru.

Gin could only smirk as he turned and began to slowly walk away _"so that's what your planning, you intend use the girl so Captain Hitsugaya will focus all of his suspicion on me while you hide out, just what I'd expect from you" _he thought to himself as the two Lieutenant yelled at each other to back down.

"Snap, Tobiume!!!" Momo commanded as her sword suddenly formed several small rods before she swung it sending a massive fireball crashing into a nearby wall.

"Releasing your Zanpakutou in a place like this…how reckless can you get?!" Izuru asked only to have another fireball sent his away for an answer "I see since you won't listen then you leave me no choice…" Momo flinched for a moment as Izuru leapt into the air "…raise your head Wabisuke."

The two lieutenants began to swing their weapons towards each other only to have Tobiume slammed into the floor by someone's foot and Wabisuke blocked by a mostly sheathed Zanpakutou "back away now, both of you!!!" Toushirou ordered.

"Toushirou" Momo gasped in surprise at his sudden appearance.

"Place these two under arrest" he commanded coldly as the three other lieutenants restrained their colleagues, without "I will report this incident to the Head Captain, lock them both up and get them out of my sight" he said coldly _"hopefully Momo will be safe from him in prison."_

"Thank ya Squad Ten Captain, sorry ya had ta waste ya time on one of mine" Gin said calmly without breaking his expression.

"You know what Gin?" Toushirou asked in an even colder voice than the one he had ordered Momo's confinement with "I could've sworn that just now, you were about to kill Momo."

"Come on na, wha would make ya think that?" Gin inquired.

"Play innocent all you want but let me give you a warning, if you so much as touch a hair on her head" Toushirou began as he turned to coldly face his fellow Captain "I promise you, I'll kill you myself.

"How scary" Gin replied as he turned to walk away _"I can tell he's grown stronger, but I expected so much more from him given all this time…I wonder could that girl have?...I guess I'll have to fight him myself if I want an answer…oh well that should be easy thanks to that letter Aizen so conveniently wrote."_

*Several City Blocks away*

"What do you think that was all about Fifth Seat Dark-Heart?" a female soldier asked as the Spiritual Pressures died down "I sensed at least two Lieutenants going at it."

"Not sure, Captain Hitsugaya is in the area so I'm sure he'll figure it out" Elaina replied as she and a dozen soldiers marched through the streets "for now stay focused on finding a ryouka."

As if on cue four spiritual pressures immediately sky rocketed "who the hell is it this time?"

"Captain Kyouraku and Zaraki, they must both be fighting against a Ryouka" Elaina stated calmly _"damn it, out of all the Captains they had to run into!!!"_

"Are we going after one of them?!" one of the soldiers asked his expression clearly indicating that he hoped the answer was no.

"I'm afraid we have no choice" Elaina answered as she turned her focus towards the center of the city and began to run "regardless of who we have to face, we're going to bring Captain Hitsugaya a Ryouka."

"But ma'am this is Captain Zaraki we're talking about, do you really think he'll just let us take away a Ryouka from him?!" another soldier asked in a panicked tone as they followed her.

"Relax, if Zaraki gets in the way I'll use **that** if necessary" Elaina ordered which seemed to ease everyone's tensions at least a little bit _"besides I'd say I would have a much better chance of stopping Zaraki than Kyouraku, he may seem like nothing but a goofy pervert at first glance but he's so strong that it's not even funny."_

*With Yoruichi*

"_ICHIGO, CHAD, YOU IDIOTS!!!" _Yoruichi screamed in her mind as she raced towards Ichigo's spiritual pressure in her cat form _"WHAT PART OF 'IF YOU ENCOUNTER ANY CAPTAINS, DON'T FIGHT THEM, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, JUST RUN' DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!" _ she leapt towards the roof of a wall on the street level when she noticed a team of shinigami rushing off to the same destination as her _"are these people crazy?!"_ she asked herself as her attention turned towards the young girl leading them _"that girl looks kind of like I did when I was younger…"_

Elaina looked over her right shoulder to find herself locking gazes with a solid black cat with golden eyes before shouting "QUICK GRAB THAT CAT!!!"

"What?!" her subordinates asked in clear confusion.

"_Impossible, my transformation is flawless"_ Yoruichi thought.

"JUST DO IT!!!" Elaina ordered before they leapt after Yoruichi.

"_Just what I needed"_ Yoruichi thought in clear annoyance as she jumped down to the street to avoid the first two shinigami only to find herself surrounded moments later with the young woman directly in front of her.

"So you're ryouka number six I presume" Elaina stated in clear satisfaction "I'm grateful, this means I won't have to mess with Zaraki today."

"Um Fifth Seat Dark-Heart, this is just a cat isn't it?" another female shinigami asked absolutely dumbfounded at what she had just been ordered to do.

"_I suppose there's no getting around it, I'll just have to resort to plan B"_ Yoruichi thought as she leaped towards Elaina before being surrounded in a large puff of smoke, a fist came flying towards the Fifth Seat who quickly caught it with her left hand; however the sheer force Yoruichi put behind the punched forced both women back a couple dozen yards utterly shocking the unseated shinigami "did I get her?!" Yoruichi asked as the smoke surrounding her disappeared, the air was immediately filled with the sound of Elaina's soldiers gasping in shock before fainting from sudden nosebleeds.

"Now THAT is impressive" Elaina said calmly as the dust cleared revealing her to still have a solid grip on Yoruichi's fist "not only did you knock out all my **men**, but you even took out the **women** I brought with me with this little stunt of yours…"

"You don't seemed too surprised, Fifth Seat Dark-Heart was it?" Yoruichi replied as she leapt back a few feet _"how could a fifth seat have blocked that punch? This isn't good…"_

"Lady, let me tell you something" Elaina said calmly "when you've seen all the weird crap that I have it takes more than an exhibitionist who can turn into a black cat to surprise you" Yoruichi chuckled at her comment as Elaina flexed her left fingers a couple of times "I'll admit I am surprised about one thing…" she added before gripping her right hand into a fist and leaping towards Yoruichi with her own right hook "…I didn't think there was anyone out there besides me and Captain Soi Fon who could throw a punch like that!!!"

Yoruichi blocked Elaina's punch with her left arm before attempting to kick her in the face with a right roundhouse kick. Elaina blocked it with her left forearm before swinging her own right leg towards Yoruichi's open left leg, Yoruichi's eyes opened in shock before she leapt out of the way into the air, as she came down she tried to drop kick Elaina with her left foot, Elaina blocked her attack by shielding her head with both arms forcing Yoruichi to leap back in order to avoid losing her footing.

"You're good" Elaina stated.

"So are you, tell me are you really just a Fifth Seat?" Yoruichi replied _"what's going on here, I may have abstained from the battle field for a hundred years but I was still a Captain, so why is she able to keep up with me?"_

"I am" Elaina answered "we don't have much fame outside of the Seireitei but I'm kwon as one of 'the Black Knights of Squad Ten', I'm the Fifth Seat of Squad Ten, Elaina Dark-Heart."

"Pleased to meet you" Yoruichi said before rushing towards Elaina with a shunpo and landing her right fist into the younger girl's face "but you shouldn't let your guard down."

"Same to you, Miss Nudist" Elaina chuckled, Yoruichi's eyes opened in shock as she looked to her right just in time to see Elaina's left foot slam into her face, both women were sent tumbling.

"So you let me land that blow on purpose in order to create an opening for you to counter attack" Yoruichi stated as she rubbed her check and she saw Elaina stand up with relatively little damage to her face despite the blow she had just received "and on top of that you hardened your skin somehow to minimize the damage you received."

"I was a member of Squad Four a long time ago" Elaina said calmly "one of the techniques I developed thanks to what I learned from Captain Unohana was to focus the Spirit energy from within the body to harden certain parts in order to reduce the amount of damage taken; it's an effective skill, but it's a real bitch to perfect."

"_So a she combines the skills of a healer with her excellent talents in Hakuda in order to make herself a more effective fighting machine…I feel like I'm fighting against Soi Fon and Retsu Unohana at the same time"_ Yoruichi thought calmly as she took her stance "that's clever, tell me how did you know I wasn't a cat? I thought my transformation was flawless."

"Even cats can sense spiritual pressures here in the Soul Society" Elaina replied "and believe me there's no way in Hell they would be rushing towards Captain Zaraki and that friend of yours."

"_Ichigo…"_ Yoruichi thought as she suddenly felt his spiritual pressure rise violently.

"_Who the hell are these guys?!"_ Elaina asked herself _"this ryouka must be a real monster if he can compete with Zaraki…"_ Elaina rested her right palm on her sword before saying "while I've enjoyed talking to you, I'm afraid I have to bring you in to my Captain for questioning. Snap her neck, Onitsume!!!"

"_I might be a while Ichigo" _Yoruichi thought to herself as she leapt into the air to avoid an energy extension of Elaina's right arm _"don't you dare die!"_

*An hour later*

Both Ichigo and Kenpachi's spiritual pressures crashed suddenly causing both Yoruichi and Elaina's eyes to open in shock.

"_It's a draw?!"_ Yoruichi asked herself as she and Elaina stood up _"Kisuke was right, you really are incredible, Ichigo…" _both women were covered in small bruises, Elaina's uniform was torn in several places as she looked towards the site of the sudden disappearance.

"What are you Ryouka here for?" Elaina inquired causing Yoruichi to turn her attention back to her "is it to rescue Rukia Kuchki?"

"What makes you say that?" Yoruichi replied.

"I've noticed that all the sightings of your friends appear indicates that they're all moving towards the center of the city, theres not much there except the repentance cell" Elaina explained "Rukia Kuchki's cell."

"And if we are?" Yoruichi asked.

Elaina sighed "before I became the Fifth Seat of Squad Ten I was the Sixth Seat of Squad Thirteen, Rukia was one of my subordinates…" Yoruichi looked at her in surprise "…and I must say I feel her punishment is **complete** B.S…hell I'm tempted to bust herself out myself."

"I see" Yoruichi stated.

"That Shinigami in your group…" Elaina continued "…the one that just fought to a draw against Captain Zaraki, he's the human Rukia gave her powers to isn't he? And now that her life is in danger he's trying to save her as a way of thanking her" Yoruichi nodded "what about you?"

"My reasons are somewhat different from his, but our objective is the same" Yoruichi answered.

"I see" Elaina replied before stepping to the side and resealing Onitsume "go save your friend, and make sure you get Rukia the hell out of that damned cell."

"Thank you" Yoruichi said gratefully as she walked past her former opponent.

"Could you tell me your name?" Elaina requested.

"I'm Yoruichi Shihouin" Yoruichi answered "and yours is Elaina Dark-Heart right?" Elaina nodded "not a bad name at all, it helps you stick out."

"Yours isn't too shabby either" Elaina stated as she disappeared with a shunpo "YOU MAY WANT TO PUT SOME CLOTHES ON THOUGH!!!" she smirked as she walked over to her unconscious subordinates _"so the Sixth Ryouka was actually the former Captain of Squad Two and the head of the Shihouin clan who went missing about one hundred years ago…"_ some of her soldiers began to regain consciousness _"…Somehow I just knew things were going to wind up getting more complicated."_

"Fifth Seat Dark-Heart what happened?!" one of her subordinates asked as he finally woke up.

"Simple the cat turned into a naked woman and you guys all fainted from sudden nosebleeds" Elaina answered in clear amusement before turning to her female subordinates "and you ladies may want to consider coming out of the closet."

"Fifth Seat Dark-Heart, Please!!!" one of the women begged causing her to burst out laughing, moments later they decided to join in.

"_If things work out I'll have to see if she'll do that again…"_ Elaina thought mischievously as they began to head back _"…don't want to do it to my Dad since he just started dating Captain Unohana a few months ago; but Captains Kuchki and Hitsugaya should be worth a real laugh, oh and Captain Kyouraku if Lieutenant Ise is around…she would be so pissed off it'll be hilarious."_

*Later that night*

"So Captain Aizen was murdered" Alexander said calmly earning him a nod from Toushirou and Rangiku, Elaina and Youmei were shocked at the latest revelation _"I guess I was wrong about him…I'm sorry Captain Aizen…"_

"It couldn't have been any of the Ryouka" Youmei stated "so far the only one that was sighted anywhere near where he was killed was the one who fought against Captain Zaraki, and that came after he was killed."

"I know" Toushirou replied before turning to Elaina "you say that they're here to rescue Rukia Kuchki from her execution?"

"That's right" Elaina answered "from what I can gather they have no interest in killing **anybody** so I doubt they would resort to assassinating a Captain."

"Personally I don't think we share what we learned about the Ryouka just yet with the other squads" Rangiku began drawing everyone's attention "if even one of the rumors I've heard are accurate, Captain Soi Fon will increase Stealth Force Activity at least one hundred fold if she hears that Yoruichi Shihouin is involved with these Ryouka; if that happens it'll be hell for us to make our own move."

"I'm inclined to agree with you" Toushirou stated "I'm withdrawing my order to capture a Ryouka by any means necessary; given the strange nature of Rukia's execution, I'm certain Captain Ukitake is going to do all he can to prevent it, legal or otherwise, and I'm pretty sure that Captain Kyouraku will get involved as well. When that happens the situation is libel to get even more chaotic than it already is, for now we're going to stand back and monitor the situation for any suspicious activity."

"Um, Captain?" Youmei asked softly "what do you think Captain Kuchki will do?"

"Hard to say, he's not an easy man to read" Toushirou answered calmly before saying "please relay my orders to the rest of the squad" the seated officers nodded in understanding before heading for the door "hold up for just a moment Third Seat Dark-Heart."

"Sir?" Alexander replied as the door shut behind Youmei and Elaina.

"I wanted to ask you something" Toushirou stated as he stood up with both Rangiku and Alexander watching him intently "say you wanted to kill a Captain without half the city immediately knowing it was you…how would you do it?"

"Quickly and quietly would be the best way to do it" Alexander answered "I wouldn't recommend Kidou since it's far too flashy and any spells I would use against a Captain tend to give off a terrible bang. I would recommend attacking from a distance with some kind of weapon or device that would allow you to quickly and quietly destroy the target's heart or brain to avoid any massive spiritual pressures or commotion from breaking out."

"Would you consider Captain Ichimaru's Shinsou to be a good weapon for such an occasion?" Toushirou asked earning a shocked expression from Rangiku.

"_Do you really think?"_ Rangiku asked herself.

"I dare say it would be the perfect tool for the job" Alexander answered before leaving the office leaving his Lieutenant in a state of disbelief and his Captain in a state of utter suspicion _"Though to be honest, from what I've heard Captain Tousen's Bankai would be perfect for the job as well, especially at night…"_

*The next day*

"Captain" Rangiku said as she appeared in front of him of the Squad Four Medical building "what did Captain Unohana have to say about Captain Aizen?"

"Only that she has no idea as to who killed Aizen and that for now his death is to be kept just between officers for the moment" Toushirou answered coldly "did you deliver Captain Aizen's letter for me?"

"Yes I did" Rangiku replied.

"Thank you" Toushirou said gratefully.

"If I may ask, what are we supposed to do?" Rangiku asked as the two of them made their back towards the office.

"Clearly hunting the Ryouka isn't going to get us anywhere; yesterday Captain Kyouraku captured the one who could turn his right arm into a weapon" Toushirou began "just last night Kurotsuchi was defeated by the Quincy that Youmei had encountered and is currently **repairing** himself…" Rangiku's expression indicated that she didn't want to know anymore of the details behind the 'repairing' part of the report "…the same Ryouka was captured by Captain Tousen just this morning."

"If you combine them with the stranger and the Squad Four officer that Captains Kuchki and Ukitake captured yesterday that just leaves the woman that Elaina fought against, the girl with strange powers Youmei encountered, and the shinigami who fought against Captain Zaraki" Rangiku finished for him and Toushirou nodded.

"What I want to know is how does the Ryouka invasion and Rukia Kuchki's execution have to do with whatever the hell **he's** planning" Toushirou stated coldly.

"_Whatever __**he's**__ planning, Captain?!"_ Rangiku thought to herself _"do you really think that Gin's betrayed us?"_

*Hours later*

Rangiku woke up from her dream to find herself lying on a couch she sat up to here Toushirou calmly say "so you're finally awake Rangiku."

"Captain, I…what are you doing in my room?" Rangiku asked curiously.

Toushirou spat out the tea he was drinking before saying "take a good look around you idiot, we're in the office not your room" he took a moment to regain his composure before saying "in any case I'm exhausted so you can take over…"

"You know with all that's going on you probably shouldn't have volunteered to do all the paper work for Squad Five's take over yourself" Rangiku suggested.

"Just be quite and finish up will you?" Toushirou asked as he handed her the papers.

"Is this really it, what about all the…" Rangiku began.

"Didn't I tell you to be quite?" Toushirou reminded her.

"How long was I out?" Rangiku asked.

"Don't worry about it" Toushirou said softly "you've got an old friend who's fighting with your junior, that can't be easy for you."

Rangiku was silent as she thought about his comment, suddenly a loud knock caught both of their attentions.

"It's me Koukichirou Takezoe Squad Ten Seventh Seat, may I come in?" a familiar voice asked.

"Yes, what is it?" Toushirou replied.

"Sir I beg your pardon but we have an urgent matter that requires your immediate attention" he stated "Lieutenants Abarai, Kira, and Hinamori have all vanished from their cells!!!"

Toushirou didn't even wait to here if there was more "Rangiku, go home now" he ordered as he ran out the door _"Momo don't do anything stupid!!!"_

*Squad Three Grounds*

"I had a feeling I'd find you two together" Toushirou said calmly as he confronted Gin and Izuru.

"Captain Hitsugaya…" Izuru gasped.

"If you didn't want to get caught you shouldn't have made it so obvious Gin" Toushirou stated coldly "after all out of the three cells, his was the only one that had been opened from the outside. You were careless…"

"Careless?" Gin replied "I find it odd that ya say that, since I lef it that way so ya'd know."

"I'm glad I got here before Momo" Toushirou said coldly as he gripped Hyourinmaru.

Momo suddenly appeared between the two Captains as if Toushirou's words had come to haunt him "I found you just in time, I'm glad…"

"Momo stand back" Toushirou begged "your no match for, let me handle this" he was cut off when Momo raised her sword and held it just above his left shoulder "what the hell are you doing?" he gasped.

"I'm about to take revenge…for Captain Aizen!!!" Momo answered darkly as her hand began to shake and the tone of her voice gave away that she was fighting back tears "why Toushirou, why did you kill him?"

"_What…did she just say…"_ Toushirou thought blankly.

"There's no need to pretend, I know everything" Momo continued trying hard to maintain her composure "The Captain wrote it all down in this letter…"

'Momo…the true purpose of this execution is not to kill Rukia Kuchki, she's only a pawn in a much larger scheme. A scheme to steal an object of incredible value…The Soukyoku, within that single blade lies the destructive power of one million Zanpakutou, more importantly when a shinigami is stabbed with Soukyoku the blade's power increases more than tenfold. The Captain Hitsugaya is plotting this execution intends to use this power in order to obliterate the entire Soul Society. I intend to confront him tonight, but if he will not abandon this plan then I'll have no choice but to fight him. If I should die than I'm afraid that I must ask you finish what I started…'

"…I ask not as the Captain of Squad Five, but as a humble man…" Momo recited as tears crawled down her cheeks.

"Momo, I didn't…" was all Toushirou could say before she screamed and leapt towards him as she swung her sword kicking up a cloud of dust "don't be an idiot Momo" Toushirou begged after leaping out of the dust "if he dies then he wants you to throw your life away as well?! Do you really think Captain Aizen would write that?! The Captain Aizen I knew wasn't foolish enough to a fight if he felt there was any chance of losing alone! And if he was then he certainly wasn't a coward who would ask his men to bail him out because he couldn't get the job done!!!"

"I know, but the Captain wrote all down in his letter, he did! And I know it was handwriting, I recognized it! I don't want to believe it either but it's TRUE!!!" Momo cried as she shook uncontrollably with tears racing down her face before she swung her sword a couple of times "I…I don't know what to do, I'm so confused…I don't know what to do lil' Shirou…"

"Momo…" Hitsugaya said softly before she slammed her sword into the ground again forcing him into the air _"damn it!!! She's too upset to think rationally, someone must have forged the letter so we'd try to kill each other…"_ Toushirou looked to the ground to an impossibly large smirk spread across Gin's face putting all the pieces together in Toushirou's head before he yelled "YOU SON OF A…" as he grasped Hyourinmaru again, suddenly Momo appeared in front of him with her sword raised again _"I can't dodge this is in Mid-Air!!!"_

A loud slapping sound filled the air moments before Momo crashed into the deck and Toushirou turned to her after he landed with a frightened expression on his face.

"Oh my, whoda thought da Captain of Squad Ten could be so cruel?" Gin said smugly "she was obviously suffin from emotional stress, so why did ya have ta go an hit da poor thang so hard?"

"Gin" Toushirou hissed "what the Hell are you after?!" Gin was silent "So Aizen wasn't enough for you!!! You had to hurt Momo as well!!!" he looked at his unconscious friend "you toyed with her mind using your lies…and you kept at it until her hands bleed from gripping her sword so hard!!!"

"What ya gettin at?" Gin inquired.

"I warned you Gin" Toushirou stated coldly "I told you that if you so much as touch a hair on her head, I WOULD KILL YOU MYSELF!!!" he drew Hyourinmaru as his Spiritual Pressure began to violently surge to the point where he was surrounded in a white aura.

"My, can't have that" Gin replied as he gripped his own sword "If ya draw ya sword here I'll have no choice but ta stop ya" he drew his weapon _"Sorry about this kid, but I have to confirm my suspicion, one way or another…"_ he saw Izuru beginning to flinch from their spiritual pressures "ya best move back Izuru, tha is unless ya feel like dying."

"Don't be stupid, just moving back isn't going to be enough" Toushirou warned "get the Hell out of here Izuru otherwise my sword might peel the flesh from your bones."

*Minutes later*

"_Is this all the power you have?!"_ Gin asked himself as he dodged another one of the younger Captain's attacks, so far he had only lost his left sleeve and a few hairs before he began to thrusting his blade at him rapidly "well na Captain, what do ya think of ya chances na?" suddenly he felt the chain and crescent blade wrap around Shinsou forcing Gin to leap back or risk losing his weapon "I see, I had betta not underestimate ya Toushirou Hitsugaya, otherwise I might wind up regretten it" he said _"if this provocation works, I'll have my answer…"_

"You're wrong Gin" Toushirou retorted "you're real regret has yet to begin, remember it was you who forced me to do this Gin! Now you're going to pay for what you did to Momo!!!" his began to glow before he leapt into the air.

"_Finally" _Gin said to himself.

"Reign over the frosted frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!!!" Toushirou commanded sending a large dragon of water and ice crashing into the ground forcing both the Captain and the Lieutenant to leap away.

"_Not bad…"_ Gin thought as he landed on a nearby rooftop before Toushirou sent another ice dragon directly towards him which he blocked with his sword _"…but not as good as I thought you'd be at this point…" _the dragon began to disperse _"…there's no doubt about it, my suspicion was correct…which means I have no choice…"_ he felt his left arm freeze over as he turned his head to see the younger Captain standing next to him.

"It's over Gin" Toushirou stated coldly.

"Shoot to kill, Shinsou" Gin commanded as he opened his scarlet eyes and the blade of his Zanpakutou tore through his haori, Toushirou quickly raised his sword as he fell to his back just barely dodging the attack "are ya sure ya wana dodge it? If ya do, she'll die."

Toushirou turned in time to see the blade heading towards his childhood friend "MOMO!!!" suddenly a yellow veil of energy intercepted the blade before it dissipated revealing Rangiku blocking the attack with her sword using both arms for support as they seemed to be threatening to give way "Rangiku?!" he said weakly as Gin's expression broke to reveal earnest surprise spread across his face.

"Forgive me sir, I was returning to my quarters as you ordered" Rangiku began as she struggled to keep Gin's sword back and her blade begin to crack "but I felt Hyourinmaru's spiritual pressure and thought you might need help…Now Captain Ichimaru, please put away your sword…" her leg moved slightly but she quickly steadied it "…if you refuse, then you'll be fighting both of us!!!"

After a couple moments of delay Gin smirked before withdrawing his sword "I'm not done with you yet!!!" Toushirou declared.

"Instead of coming after me, you should probably be focusing your attention on the Squad Five Lieutenant" Gin stated smugly causing Toushirou to turn to Momo as he began to walk away _"Oh Rangiku…if you only knew what sorts of vicious and despicable things she did to your Captain, I'm sorry Toushirou but for my plan to succeed she must die…but now that I think about it, this might actually be ideal, because now I have an excuse to make Aizen do it himself…"_

*The Next day at Soukyoku Hill*

"How cruel" Isane sighed "why say that when he has no intention of letting her friends go?"

"It's kindness actually Isane" Retsu stated calmly.

"Old man Yamamoto is capable of kindness?!" Elaina asked in sheer shock causing most of the present officers to turn in her direction as she approached with her father and Youmei "did someone spike his drink?!"

"What are you three doing here?" Soi Fon inquired harshly.

"Some urgent matters arose, so our Captain sent us here in his stead" Youmei answered respectfully.

"What sort of matters?" Retsu asked curiously.

"It's a long story I'm afraid, I'd be happy to explain it all later" Alexander assured her as he stood next to her.

Retsu noticed that his marks had spread across his body and that his eyes had changed to their demonic state _"for him to be so calm and restrained with those marks present…something big must be going on."_

"_I can't believe Captain Hitsugaya wants us to protect the Soukyoku in the event that Captain Ichimaru tries to steal it while he goes to the Central Forty Six…" _Alexander thought to himself _"…poor kid, it must be hard on him to back there after all this time."_

"Very well, it is time" Yamamoto stated as Rukia was dragged into the air, paying no attention to all of the commotion caused by the Seated Officers or to the fact that over half the Captains and Lieutenants weren't even present "Come out and release the Soukyoku!!!" several men in strange garments made their way towards the dangerous artifact.

"_Squad One, a division made up almost entirely of nobles meant to keep Head Captain Yamamoto in check to ensure that he would never be able to take any covert action against Central Forty Six" _Youmei thought to herself _"rarely seen in combat, the members of Squad One tend to serve a more ritualistic purpose, as a result they tend to be at odds with our squad on almost any given topic, however…"_

"_When they unseal the Soukyoku, they'll be a meek defense, if any" _Elaina continued in her own mind _"meaning that it'll be an ideal opportunity for someone to attempt stealing this oversized piece of Shit"_ suddenly the Soukyoku burst into flames as it took the form of a giant phoenix in the air, it looked at Rukia with its fiery eyes.

"Behold the Soukyoku has taken its true form, once it has pierced the body of the condemned the execution will be over" Yamamoto explained.

"_Where in the Hell are you Ichimaru?!"_ the Black Knights thought to themselves as it rushed towards its victim, however all they heard was the sound of it clashing with something metallic just as it was about to render the ultimate punishment, the shinigami officers all looked up to see a shinigami with a torn black outfit wearing a grey cape, he had short spiky orange hair, and he was holding a sword the size of his body.

"Ichigo…" Rukia said dully due to the shock.

"Howdy" the substitute shinigami replied.

"IDIOT, I SAID 'DON'T COME BACK'!!!" Rukia shouted causing him to lose his posture for a moment "WHAT'S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR YOU FINALLY REALIZE, YOU CAN'T DEFEAT MY BROTHER, HE'LL KILL YOU FOR SURE THIS TIME, GO AWAY!!!"

"This can't be" Soi Fon said dumbfounded "he stopped the spear, but the Soukyoku has the power of a million Zanpakutou, he couldn't have possibly have stopped it with only a single Zanpakutou could he? Just who is this guy?"

"I can't answer the who" Alexander replied "but the how's a simple answer, this Ryouka must clearly be a Captain Class if he was able to block the Soukyoku on his own" Soi Fon shot him a dirty glance "now that I think about it I think I'd like to talk to that young man…" before disappearing in a veil of shadows.

"So this thing is about to charge in for a second attack huh?" Ichigo stated as the Soukyoku began to back up.

"Hey kid, you've got a minute?" Alexander asked before Rukia could reply causing them both to gasp in surprise as they turned to see him watching them calmly from the stand.

"How the Hell did you get up here?" Ichigo asked as he turned to face him.

"Easy there, I don't want to fight you I just want to ask you something then I'll be on my way" Alexander replied.

"What?!" was the only response Ichigo could whip up.

"Before that I advise you fly to the side a bit" Alexander stated before Ichigo moved to the left and turned just in time to see the Soukyoku charging at them again, Alexander quickly extended his right arm and braced it with his left hand before continuing with "hey Tweety didn't anyone ever teach you that it's rude to interrupt other peoples' conversations?!" the phoenix only continued its charm before Alexander chanted "Hadou 88: Hiryugekizokushintenraiho" sending two spirals of blue energy crashing into giant fire bird forcing it back several dozen yards "that'll teach you."

"_That's an impressive Kidou"_ Ichigo admitted to himself before asking "what do you want?"

"You know that Captain you faced when you first tried to bust into the Seireitei?" Alexander asked and Ichigo nodded with an annoyed expression "have you seen him recently?"

"If I had I would've killed him" Ichigo answered as he thought to the infuriating Captain he had encountered.

"I see, sorry if I wasted your time" Alexander replied before the Soukyoku roared loudly.

"Damn it does this thing ever give up?" Ichigo asked before it began to fly towards them a second time.

"I'm going to take that as a no" Alexander stated just before a long tethered rope seemed to fly up from below and wrap itself around the flaming bird's beak stopping it in its tracks, Ichigo could only look down at the two Captains standing next to each end of the rope on opposite ends of a giant shield.

"What are they doing now?" Ichigo asked.

"My guess is they're about to kill Tweety" Alexander answered in clear amusement, moments later the Soukyoku blew up leaving only wisps of flames in the air for a few moments "nice…well good luck kid, I'd offer to help you but I've got my own mission to attend to, try not to die" he immediately disappeared in another wave of black energy.

"We better find Ichimaru as soon as possible" Youmei stated and Elaina nodded in agreement.

"Stop right there you two" Yamamoto commanded "you are to remain here and assist in dealing with the Ryouka and the traitorous officers!!!"

"Screw you old man!!!" Elaina replied with an obscene hand gesture before turning her attention to Jyuushiro and Shunsui "Captain Ukitake, Captain Kyouraku please kick his ass before this is all over" she immediately disappeared with a shunpo.

"My deepest apologies we'll explain later" Youmei added before disappearing with a shunpo of her own.

"Everyone sure seems fired up, eh Jyuushiro?" Shunsui asked in amusement.

*With Toushirou and Rangiku*

"_It's been forty years since I last came here, forty years since they forced me to kill my best friend. And I've been dreaming of the day I would return here to make them pay ever since…"_ Toushirou thought as he opened the final door to the courtroom to find all forty sages and six judges lying pools of their own blood _"…it would seem I'm not going to get my revenge…"_

"They're…they're all dead…" Rangiku gasped as Toushirou walked up to one of them and rubbed his fingers in some of their blood.

"_This blood is dry and it's already turned black…so they weren't killed today or yesterday" _Toushirou noted he felt his own blood come to a boil _"don't tell me all the orders we've been receiving throughout this entire incident were all fake!!!"_

"So you arrived Captain Hitsugaya" Izuru called out, he began to run when the two turned to him.

"After him!!!" Toushirou ordered as he and Rangiku took off after him.

They chased Izuru throughout the entire building before finally catching up to him on the surface as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop.

"Izuru did you have anything to do with what happened down their?!" Toushirou demanded only to be ignored "ANSWER ME DAMN IT!!!"

"Shouldn't you be more worried about Momo?" Izuru asked putting a confused expression on the Captain's face "she's not in the Squad Ten barracks if that's what you were thinking. Surely you realize that Momo is a kidou master so breaking a barrier that's meant to keep people out not in from the inside is child's play. Haven't you realized that she's been following you all this time?"

Toushirou focused for a moment before discovering faint traces of a familiar spiritual pressure moving away _"it is her, where in the Hell is she going?!"_ he asked himself before gritting his teeth and turning to Rangiku "Rangiku, can I leave him to you?!"

"Of course" Rangiku answered as he pulled a 180 and ran after Momo _"please be careful Captain…"_ Izuru stopped and drew his Zanpakutou _"…Gin…just what are you doing?!"_

_*_With Toushirou*

"_Momo what the hell are you doing here in Seijoutoukyorin?!" _Toushirou asked himself in confusion as he arrived just before her spiritual pressure vanished, he ran up to where he last felt it only to be dumbfounded at the sight of Gin Ichimaru and Sousuke Aizen.

"Well, hello Toushirou" Aizen said casually.

"What the Hell…Captain Aizen is that you?!" Toushirou asked in complete shock.

"Yes it's really me, please pardon me for a moment" Aizen replied "Gin, he's arrived sooner than we expected."

"Sorry Izuru mustave not bin enough fir him" Gin answered.

"What are you two talking about?" Toushirou asked in sheer shock.

"Nothing major just analyzing our own strategy to break down and divide the enemy forces" Aizen answered with a disturbing smirk across his face.

"_Enemy…don't tell me"_ Toushirou thought before rushing past them both with a shunpo to find Momo lying in a pool of her own blood "Momo…no…"

"Ah, I see you found her, forgive me I really didn't mean to startle you" Aizen stated in his new emotionless voice "I guess I should've chopped her into little pieces so you'd have never recognized her" causing Toushirou to grip his fist tightly.

"I see so all this time, you and Gin…" Toushirou said darkly "…you've been lying to everyone; Momo, me, your own subordinates, all the other shinigami…YOU DECIEVED US!!!"

"It was never my intention to deceive anyone; it's just that it would seem there was no one who could understand me" Aizen replied "my **true** identity was beyond them."

"True Identity?" Toushirou repeated angrily "Momo…Momo looked up to you!!! She became a shinigami because she believed in you and everything you represented, so much so that she risked her life time and again to become your Lieutenant!!!"

"That was what made her so easy to manipulate, her blind admiration. That and her abilities made her perfect to be my subordinate" Aizen acknowledged causing Toushirou's eyes to pop open in sheer shock "this is a lesson you should take to heart as well Toushirou, Admiration is the State furthest away from understanding."

Toushirou's face contorted with rage as his spiritual pressure destroyed the tower they were in, as the dust cleared he chanted "Bankai: Daigurren Hyourinmaru."

"_This isn't good, his spiritual pressure hasn't increased at all…"_ Gin thought to himself as he and Aizen avoided the rubble _"…don't tell me that girl is still alive!!!"_

"Aizen, I'm going to kill you!!!" Toushirou hissed coldly as his spiritual pressure echoed his murderous intent.

"You shouldn't say that, it'll only make you look weak" Aizen advised before the boy flew towards him and stabbed what he thought was Aizen through the chest, before Toushirou could react Aizen had cut deeply into his right shoulder causing him to collapse to the ground "let's go Gin."

"As you wish Captain Aizen" Gin replied _"don't die kid…"_

*Minutes later*

"Attention all Thirteen Court Guard Squad Captains, Lieutenants, and Seated Officers…" Isane's voice echoed to the many shinigami scattered throughout the Seireitei "and also the Ryouka."

"Lieutenant Koutestu?" Elaina asked in surprise.

"What in the world is going on now?" Youmei asked as she began to explain what they had just witnessed.

"Impossible, not Aizen…" Jyuushiro gasped.

"This can't be" Yamamoto stated in a rare expression of shock.

"Well now doesn't all this fighting seem pointless now old man?" Shunsui asked before turning to his left to an unexpected third shinigami who had decided to help them against their teacher "wouldn't you agree Alex?"

"Aizen…Tousen…" Alexander hissed as he grasped both of his released swords, the sea of flames roaring behind him.

*Soukyoku Hill*

"So thas unspoken numba ninety huh?" Gin asked as Sajin fell to the ground covered in deep lacerations "pwety scary stuff…"

"No that one was a failure, what you saw was roughly a third of its true power" Aizen replied as he walked up to Rukia "now where was I Rukia Kuchki?" his eyes darted from Rukia's terrified face to her shadow which suddenly began moving on its own.

"Kurohari!!!" a voice commanded loudly as Aizen let go of Rukia and leapt back several yards to avoid the black needles which shot towards him from Rukia's shadow.

"_That technique"_ Kaname thought calmly as he reached for his Zanpakutou _"so he's here."_

"Bakudou 63: Sajousabaku" Alexander chanted just before he landed in front of Rukia and both Gin and Kaname were wrapped in glowing chains of spirit energy.

"Alexander Dark-Heart" Kaname stated without any signs of fear _"so it's come to this…how sad."_

"Kaname Tousen" Alexander hissed "so you **were** lying to us all this time!!!" Kaname was silent "as soon as Aizen is dead I am going to beat some answers into you, make no mistake!!!"

"My this really is turning into quite the gathering" Aizen chuckled "I'll admit I'm impressed, not many can get close enough to me to use that attack without me seeing it a mile away, not to mention you were able to use a powerful binding spell on two targets at once…" he gave both Gin and Kaname a quick glance as Alexander took his stance "…but I suppose I should've expected nothing less from the Prince of the Warlock clan. Am I right Prince Alexander Dark-Heart?"

"Can the 'prince' crap" Alexander ordered "My clan is of no interest or relevance to someone who's about to die!!!" Alexander leapt towards Aizen and swung Kokuhyou horizontally, Aizen blocked it with his sword before jumping back to avoid a stab from Nehan _"I have to finish this quickly otherwise Captain Komamura, Lieutenant Abarai, Ms. Kuchki, and the Ryouka will die…" _

"Tell me something **Prince** Alexander, is there any reason why you seem less shocked than the others about the truth of my identity?" Aizen asked as he parried several more attacks.

"Meimeikanshiki!!!" Alexander chanted forcing Aizen to leap to the side to avoid the blast before he charged the Warlock and the sound of clashing metal filled the air as the two shinigami locked blades once again.

"My tha two of them seem ta be enjoyan this" Gin stated in amusement _"I'm sorry but you can't hope to beat Aizen as you are now…"_

"You want to know why I'm not surprised?" Alexander replied as he eyed the traitor with murderous intent "the answer is simple, I always suspected you were trash from the moment I met you!!! You reminded me of my father which is why I knew that you were dangerous and that you weren't a man to be trusted; that's why I declined your offer to be the Third Seat of Squad Five and why I left Squad Nine when I came to suspect that Kaname Tousen was up to no good!!!"

"I see" Aizen chuckled "would you like me to explain why those were both terrible mistakes on your part?"

The only answer Alexander gave was to jump into the air and point both hands towards Aizen and chanting "Hadou 73: SoranSoukatsui!!!" causing two spirals of blue fire to crash into the ground and kick up a large cloud of dust as Aizen leapt back to avoid being caught up in the attack and Alexander landed in the middle of the dust cloud.

"That won't be enough" Aizen explained as Alexander leapt out of the cloud towards him and swung the weapon in his right hand horizontally towards his neck which was still surrounded in dirt, Aizen blocked it with his own sword, Aizen's eyes opened in shock as the dust cleared around the sword he was blocking to reveal a sparkling white blade, he immediately looked below to see Alexander beginning to spin around with a familiar black sword emerging from the dust in his left hand.

"It's over Aizen!!!" Alexander declared as he cut into Aizen's stomach with Kokuhyou sending a stream of blood to squirt out from the wound as Aizen felt paralyzed by the immense pain he was experiencing before Alexander completed his spin and lunged Nehan through his chest just below his left shoulder and stabbing him with Kokuhyou before letting go of both blades, out of the cornor of his eye Aizen saw that his opponent was chanting during the attacks "…Hadou 90: Kurohitsugi!!!" Aizen was immediately consumed in a massive black coffin before it disappeared revealing a bloodied and finished enemy "that's how you do Hadou 90…"

"I told you 'that won't be enough'" Aizen said calmly just before the Third Seat felt a blade stab him through his right shoulder.

"_How?!"_ Alexander thought as he saw the Aizen he had just beaten disappear to reveal his swords lying dully on the ground "Damn you…" he swore as he fell to the ground.

"_Damn it, he keeps taking us down one by one"_ Ichigo swore in his mind as Aizen retrieved the Hogyoku from Rukia and Alexander's spell on Gin and Kaname shattered.

"There, tell me are you still conscious **Prince Alexander**?" Aizen asked curiously as the Warlock looked at him with hatred still evident in his eyes "Before I go let me explain what you **should **have done when you suspected us. Instead of trying to create as much distance between us as you could you should've tried to get closer to us…if you had done that you might have picked up on our behaviors and mannerisms enough to expose us on your own, if you had done that, who knows how different this may have turned out? You may have been able to save your student" Alexander seemed to gasp at his words "…don't worry, you're not the **first** man who suspected me and made that mistake…" he turned to Rukia "…now then, I don't have any further use for you…" he held her up "…kill her Gin."

"If I must" Gin sighed as he drew his sword "shoot to kill Shinsou!!!"

"You bastards!!!" Ichigo swore as the blade rushed towards just before a white shape snatched her from Aizen's grip and took the blade himself "Byakuya…" Aizen seemed somewhat amused while Gin earnestly looked shocked.

Aizen attempted to draw his sword but was stopped by an old face who locked his right arm and slammed her palm on his sword's handle, less than a moment later Soi Fon locked his left arm with her leg and placed the blade of her sword to his throat.

"Don't move Aizen" Yoruichi warned "if you move so much as a muscle."

"Then I'll cut off your head" Soi Fon assured him.

"I can see that" Aizen replied.

"It's over" Yoruichi declared _"it's been a long one hundred years because of you!!!"_

"I beg your pardon?" Aizen inquired.

"Can't you sense it Aizen? There's nowhere left for you to run to and no place for you to hide" Yoruichi replied coldly as over a dozen shinigami arrived on scene; Gin was being restrained from behind by Rangiku who held her blade to his neck while Youmei had the barrel of her Aoibara pointed right at his forehead, Kaname on the other hand was being restrained by Shuuhei who had his blade right next to his throat as if he was about to cut his head off and Elaina was right in front of him with her Onitsume pulled back for a punch and an expression of pure raged etched across her face.

Aizen could only smirk "I guess it's time to take my leave."

"Soi Fon get away now!!!" Yoruichi commanded as they both leapt back just before Aizen was engulfed in a beam of life.

"_Negation!!!" _Alexander thought in shock _"so you three have even joined forces with the Menos!!!"_ he thought to himself in disgust as Sajin tried to get answers from Kaname.

"So you've allied yourself with the Menos, why would you do that?" Jyuushiro asked with an unusually dark expression of him spread across his face.

"It's so I can climb higher" Aizen answered.

"You've become that corrupt, have you?!" Ukitake replied.

"You're too blinded by self righteousness" Aizen began "since the beginning no one has stood at the top; not you, not me, not God. But at long last that unattainable vacancy will be filled …" he removed his glasses and brushed up his hair to reveal a more sinister appearance "…by me."

"You aim to become a God, Aizen?!" Alexander asked as he struggled to prop himself up with his arms and his wound continued to bleed.

"That's correct" Aizen answered.

Alexander chuckled darkly as he said "your fall will be hard Aizen, make no mistake about that…" he immediately blacked out from blood loss.

"Farewell shinigami" was all Aizen had to say as the three treacherous Captain disappeared into Hueco Mundo.

*That Night*

"_Where am I?!" _Toushirou asked himself as he awoke to find himself in a familiar bed with bandages wrapped around his shoulder _"SHIT!!!" _he swore in his mind _"I lost!!!"_

"_What did you expect brat?" _a mocking voice echoed _"you should've at least broken the seal on your powers before charging him like an idiot…if you had done that you may have been able to react in time…"_

"_Shut up"_ Toushirou hissed in his mind _"damn it he's right."_

"_I hear that you know" _the voice mocked.

"Damn him" Toushirou swore as his door opened up softly.

"I see you're awake, how are you feeling Captain?" Rangiku asked.

"Physically or mentally?" Toushirou replied.

"Both of course" Rangiku answered.

"Well aside from this pain in my shoulder I'm fine physically" Toushirou stated "mentally I'm pissed; I'm angry at Aizen and Gin for betraying us, I'm angry at Momo for falling for his lies, but most of all I'm angry at…"

"Yourself?" Rangiku finished for him and he nodded "you're too predictable Captain" she sighed as she took a seat next to him and pulled him into a gentle hug "no one else is blaming you for what happened, Hell out of all the Captains you're the one getting the most praise for how the situation was handled."

"But Aizen still got away, countless numbers of our comrades ended up getting severally wounded, and Momo was nearly killed" Toushirou retorted "I don't see what I've done to earn any praise."

"_Gin…I don't care what it is your up to, I can't forgive you for what you've done"_ Rangiku thought as she held Toushirou's face up to hers before kissing him _"and Momo if you __**ever**__ hurt or betray him again, I __**will**__ kill you!!!"_

Toushirou sighed mentally realizing he had already lost and returned the gesture while thinking _"Aizen, no matter what happens, even if I have to expose __**that**__…I swear I am going to kill you."_

Author's Notes: And that's Chapter 18 folks, I'll do my upmost to get Chapter 19 up before I turn 20 (which will be on November 20). In the mean time please leave a review, vote in my poll if you have not done so already, and check out my profile for some announcements of what I plan to do once I finish this story; while you're at it consider checking out my one shot story 'Betrayal and Sacrifice' and my challenge to any interested writers.


	19. The Twin Dragons

**Author's Notes: Hot damn I actually met my own goal for a release date. Anyway I just wanted to mention a couple of things before you read on.**

**To anyone reading this who happens to be French I mean no offense by a comment made early on in this chapter**

**I still don't own Bleach or Devil May Cry, nor do I own Naruto or Gundam 00 (if you're a fan of either you may see some references in this chapter)**

**Please enjoy and don't forget to review.**

**Ch. 19 The Twin Dragons**

*Six months after Aizen's betrayal*

"Okay where the hell am I?" Elaina asked herself as she found herself hovering over a city where the sounds of explosions, gunfire, and screams filled the air _"wait a minute is this…"_

"I WON'T LET YOU!!!" a familiar voice cried as she protected her unconscious comrade as a black humanoid hollow rushed towards her, she was about to begin an incantation but was cut off when a shinigami kicked him in the face with both feet sending him flying back.

"Not this time Adolf" Elaina hissed as she stood between the hollow and the female shinigami with long white hair and snow white eyes _"I have no idea what I'm doing back here in Berlin, but I won't let you hurt my Mom OR Dad!!!"_

"Who are you?" Esther asked as she held up an unconscious Alexander.

"To be honest I don't know if you'd believe me" Elaina replied as the two hollows began moving again "leave these guys to me" she assured her _"this would count as a special occasion so why the Hell not!!!" _her entire body began to glow violently.

*Seconds later*

"_How pathetic, oh how I wish I had this level of strength back then…"_ Elaina thought to herself as both hollows were dragged into the pits of Hell before the scene suddenly shifted before and she found herself looking upon both her father and a younger version of herself in front of a familiar grave "but I just…" she tried to say but was cut off.

"You can't change the past Elaina" a familiar voice called causing Elaina to turn in time to see Esther standing before her.

"Mom…" Elaina replied softly "what the Hell is going on here?!"

"I'm sorry Elaina" Esther said with a tear in her eyes "but the past has already been determined…" the scene shifted to the sight of Elaina when she was younger.

"DAMN IT!!!" the younger Elaina swore as she pounded the ground with her fist "I SOULD'VE BEEN THERE!!! I COULD'VE HELPED THEM!!!"

"That's me…after I learned that Mom had been killed" the older Elaina stated as she saw her younger self surrounded in a black aura "On that day I swore to myself…"

"…_Power!!! I will obtain more power!!!"_ the younger Elaina swore to herself, her thoughts were vocal to her older self _"No matter what, I'll see to it that tragedies like that are prevented!!!" _the aura seemed to absorb into her body changing her hair from brown to black.

"_That's right, I used to have brown hair, but after Mom died it turned black because of my Darkness Affinity"_ Elaina thought to herself as she rolled up her sleeve and focused her spirit energy into her arm _"and after I fought against grandpa Maximilian I could make out the faint outline of marks similar to my Dad's appearing on my skin whenever I used enough spirit energy…"_ she felt a gentle hand grab her shoulder right shoulder, Elaina turned to see her mother's face once more.

"You can change Elaina" Esther stated "I couldn't so I'm afraid you'll have to do it for me…"

"MOM!!!" Elaina shouted before she woke up in her bed, she took a few moments to get her heart rate back under control as her cats eyed her in shocked curiosity before thinking _"What the Hell kind of dream was that?!"_ she looked to her clock before swearing "damn it, I'm late!!!"

*Squad Ten Barracks*

"There you are, Fifth Seat Dark-Heart" an unseated shinigami called out as he rushed up to her "did you hear?"

"No, I just got here, why?" Elaina replied earning her a concerned look from the man "did something happen with my Dad and this **research** the Head Captain has him working on?"

_Flashback_

"What brings you here, Head Captain?" Alexander inquired from his hospital bed as he and Elaina observed the ancient Captain of Squad One enter silently with Retsu following closely behind "I doubt you're here about the scuffle you had with me and Captains Kyouraku and Ukitake" he covered his injury and his marks appeared just in case.

"I have no time for such petty matters" Yamamoto replied bluntly "I have something to discuss with you…"

"_I'm guessing this is how the old man here says 'hello'…what an infuriating man…"_ Elaina thought dully.

"…leave us child" Yamamoto commanded earning him an extremely dirty look from Elaina.

"Old man I'll just tell her about whatever it is you want to discuss with me about so you might as well just say it" Alexander stated bluntly wanting to prevent his daughter from acting out.

"Very well" Yamamoto conceded "as I'm sure you can imagine, the betrayal of Three Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and the subsequent theft of this Hogyoku is a matter of great concern…however there is one aspect of the overall problem which is even more vexing…" Yamamoto began "…can you guess what that is?"

"Aizen's Kyouka Suigetsu I would assume" Alexander answered earning him a nod from the Head Captain "for once I agree with you, 'vexing' is a very good way to describe that Zanpakutou, even if he had to face someone stronger than himself he would still have an advantage due to the hypnotic effects; when I fought him on Soukyoku Hill I could've sworn I had fatally wounded him and I could've sworn that my Kidou hit its target, however the truth is I didn't so much as touch him..."

"Judging by not just your own testimony but from the reports of Captains Hitsugaya, Unohana, and Komamura it is safe for us to assume that this ability of his is akin to kidou…" Yamamoto continued.

"So that's it…you want to see if I can find some sort of weakness or a way around Aizen's illusions don't you?" Alexander asked.

"It's my understanding that your people's abilities are also akin to kidou and that you have carried out vast amounts of research over the centuries, given the gravity of the situation I decided it was prudent for me to explore every possible avenue for a solution" Yamamoto answered "will you do it?"

"Of course, I want him dead just as much as you do" Alexander replied "aside from a lab to work in there's something else I'll need if I'm to have any chance of success."

"What would that be?" Yamamoto inquired.

"Information" Alexander stated "I imagine by now you've asked Captain Soi Fon and the Stealth Force track down any old acquaintances of the traitors in order to press them for any information, I'd like Captain Soi Fon to brief me on it as soon as possible. I also want to talk to anyone who's encountered Aizen before in combat and access to any video footage we have of him, combat or otherwise to see if I can discern a pattern to his movements. Naturally I'll need clearance to search the offices and living quarters in Squads Three, Five, and Nine to see if any of them left something useful behind."

"Is there anything else?" Yamamoto asked seeming annoyed at the long list of demands.

"Just one" Alexander answered as he shifted his focus from Yamamoto to the woman standing behind him "I hate to ask this of you Retsu but could you please turn over any tissue samples of everyone who was stabbed with Kyouka Suigetsu, living or otherwise?"

"I understand" Retsu replied.

"You do realize you're requesting access to remains of the Central Forty Six, don't you?" Yamamoto asked.

"Yeah, I do" Alexander stated "and I get the feeling that if **all** Aizen did was butcher them I'd be shaking his hand instead of plotting to kill him."

_End flashback_

"No ma'am it's Captain Hitsugaya!" the soldier replied "apparently he went AWOL after the King's Seal he was protecting was stolen."

Elaina was shocked into silence before saying "you've got to be shitting me…"

"Attention all members of Squad Ten!!!" Saskibe Choujirou commanded in front of Rangiku with several members of Squad One behind him "until the matter of Captain Hitsugaya and his apparent involvement in the theft of the King's Seal is resolved all members of Squad Ten are to surrender their Zanpakutou and remain confined to their barracks!!!"

"What the Hell did you just say?!" one shinigami barked.

"We didn't do anything wrong!!!" Another added "theres no way were going to hand our swords over to you Squad One Bastards!!!"

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, please say something" one last member begged.

Rangiku looked at Saskibe darkly before pulling Haineko from her obi and handing it other "there's no choice…for now anyway" she stated.

Through gritted teeth the members of Squad Ten handed over their Zanpakutou one by one until eventually Saskibe appeared before Elaina.

"Your sword" Saskibe demanded as Elaina eyed him with killing intent.

"I should warn you of one thing…" Elaina began as she pulled out Onitsume and handed it over to Saskibe, he grabbed it with both hands and tried to take it away but couldn't break Elaina's grip "…when this is over I'm going to kick your French ass into the next millennium!!!" she let go and Saskibe stumbled back.

Saskibe gave no reply as he and his men left the tenth squad's barracks.

"I guess there's no helping it" Rangiku sighed as she watched with Rukia and Renji.

"To take such action with only circumstantial evidence at best" Rukia said in quite surprise.

"Just goes to show you how much pressure the Royal Family must be putting on the Old Man over this King's seal, whatever it is" Rangiku replied "Then combine it with my Captain's sudden…"

"If you think he's like Gin Ichimaru you're wrong" Renji stated bluntly, earning him a shocked look from both women.

"I'm still surprised that they're locking down the entire Tenth Squad…" Rukia added hoping to change the topic away from the former Captain of Squad Three.

"It's because of our Third Seat" Rangiku explained "right now he's locked himself away in a deserted section of the Seireitei on the opposite side of town in order to conduct research where no one could get hurt if there was an **accident**; even Elaina and Captain Unohana have hardly seen him since."

"So they want him to be kept in the dark so he'll continue his research" Renji stated and Rangiku nodded "damn them" he swore.

"Lieutenant Abarai, Lady Kuchki, we're about to finish locking down" a soldier from Squad One explained "please you both must leave."

"Fine" Renji replied "don't worry Rangiku, I'm sure he'll be back soon" Rangiku grabbed his wrist causing him to stop in his tracks.

"I want you to look into something for me" Rangiku begged "during the theft of the King's Seal my Captain was acting strangely, he was surprised…I think he somehow knew the thief and that's why he ran off after him."

"I understand" Renji replied _"what in the Hell is going on now!?"_

"_Please be alright"_ Rangiku thought to herself as the doors shut and two familiar faces approached her.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, please tell us what happened" Youmei requested with Elaina standing next to her.

*A few minutes later*

"I see so he chased after the thief without saying a word?" Youmei replied after Rangiku finished telling her story "I wish we could get in touch with Third Seat Dark-Heart."

"I hate to say it but I doubt even he would be able to help us" Rangiku stated with a depressed tone.

"I wonder…" Elaina began earning her curious glances from both women "…if this thief is somehow connected to the Captain's past incident with Central Forty Six."

"Excuse me?" Rangiku asked "I never heard anything about this."

"Neither have I" Youmei stated.

"When the Captain first joined the Thirteen Squads he was assigned to Squad Nine under my Dad's command, shortly after word my Dad noticed that he was trying to kill himself out on the battlefield" Elaina explained shocking both Rangiku and Youmei.

"Why was he trying to get himself killed?!" Rangiku asked in a hushed panic _"Captain what happened to you?! Is it my fault you ended up like that?!"_

"That I don't know" Elaina answered "even with his demonic eyes and his talent for word play all my Dad could figure out was that the reason had something to do with Central Forty Six and that he was quite torn up about it, to my knowledge he hasn't told a soul. Apparently it was too painful."

"_Too painful!?"_ Rangiku thought.

"_Listen you may not have wanted this power but the fact is that you __**do **__have it, so we'll just have to make the best of it" Rangiku recalled telling her Captain "now tell me is there anything else you've been keeping secret from me?"_

"_I'm sorry Rangiku, it's too painful for me to talk about"_ _she remembered Toushirou's response._

"Are you alright?" Elaina asked pulling Rangiku out of her train of thought.

"Sorry about that, I think I need to lie down for a bit" Rangiku chuckled.

"Not like there's anything else we can do…" Elaina said in clear annoyance "…for now at least…"

"_He trusted me to keep his secret about those powers of his, and yet he wasn't able to tell me a word about what had happened to him before he even got them…"_ Rangiku thought to herself _"…Captain, please be alright."_

*The Next Day*

"Hey you can't go in there!!! This area is off limits!!!" Oomaeda half shouted from outside abruptly waking Rangiku up, she immediately looked through a crack to see Renji just outside arguing with Oomaeda.

"Damn, guess I was wrong" Renji replied in annoyance "and here I thought you were a reasonable guy" he added _"truth is I've been wanting to slug you ever since I got promoted."_

"What was that?!" Oomaeda spat as he grabbed the handle of his Zanpakutou "I dare you to repeat that!!!"

"Alright sure" Renji barked.

"My aren't we all lively?" a familiar voice asked causing both Lieutenants to turn towards the approaching Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Eight "surely it's not a problem if I go with him?" a vein was threatening to pop in Oomaeda's head "come on now don't you trust Squad Eight?"

"Thank you for coming Renji, Nanao, Captain Kyouraku" Rangiku said gratefully as the three officers joined her "did you learn anything?"

"Apparently Ichigo found Captain Hitsugaya and for a short while they were together, but he left as soon as he thought Ichigo wasn't looking" Renji answered as he reached into his kimono "and he left this…"

"His haori" Rangiku gasped as she grabbed and found a red spot on the inside "and he's hurt…"

"My now, what is that guy thinking?" Shunsui sighed heavily.

"Rangiku, have you ever heard of an individual named Kusaka?" Renji asked.

"No who is he?" Rangiku replied.

"Apparently Captain Hitsugaya uttered his name in his sleep" Renji answered "Me and Ichigo think he may be the guy who stole the King's Seal."

"Even though I'm his Lieutenant, it would seem I don't know anything about my Captain really…" Rangiku said softly.

"Well for now we have three questions we need to answer" Nanao stated "who is this Kusaka person, how is he connected to Captain Hitsugaya, and what if anything does he have to do with the King's Seal?"

"My sounds like you've thought this thing through Nanao" Shunsui chuckled "so does that mean you'll look into it?"

"What?!" Nanao replied in slight shock.

"Thank you so much, Nanao" Rangiku added gratefully "I'll find a way to repay you, I swear."

"Sure thing" Nanao said in defeat "so long as the Captain is willing to do his fair share!!!"

"What me?!" Shunsui asked.

"Yes you!!!" Nanao answered as her Captain and her two fellow Lieutenants broke into a fit of laughter.

"_Whatever may be going on here, I promise I'll be there for you Captain"_ Rangiku assured herself.

*World of the Living*

"_Damn it, I didn't need Shuuhei and Izuru getting in my way!!!"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as he made his way through an old abandoned building, he grasped the wound on his side with his left hand as he made it to one last door _"you better be on the other side, I want answers!!!"_

"So you finally made it" a rather cold voice stated as Toushirou came through the door "it's been quite a while hasn't it?" he pulled off his mask.

"Kusaka!!! It's really you…" Toushirou gasped as he looked at the face of his old friend who aside from a burn mark over his right eye looked exactly the way he did when Toushirou had killed him.

"Yes it's me, I wounded you with Hyourinmaru so you'd know" Kusaka replied as he took a few steps casually "tell me something Toushirou, why did you stick around with the Thirteen Court Guard Squads after our little **incident**? After all you know far better than most what they're capable of. Was it for that innocent girl?"

"Momo has nothing to do with this" Toushirou stated "now answer me. What is the King's Seal? How do you know about it? And how are you still alive?!"

"I think it'll be easier if I showed you" Kusaka answered as he pulled a small glowing gold box, almost instantly it began to glow several times brighter and it released an unbelievably powerful Spiritual pressure.

"_What in the world is going on here?!"_ Toushirou asked himself as the light finally died down and he noticed that they were now outdoors on top of what appeared to be a small plateau "This is!!!"

"Soukyoku Hill" Kusaka stated as Toushirou turned to him "The King's Seal allows me to transport matter through dimensions and even change objects back to the way they were. In other words I'm free to move about the Soul Society and the World of the Living as I see fit, I can transport attacks to another dimension before they even reach me, and if my body is injured I can revert it back to a time before it was wounded!" he held it out in his right hand.

"So that's how you survived!!!" Toushirou replied in shock.

"That's right, somehow when I died in Central Forty Six I was bathed in the light of the King's Seal and transported to Hueco Mundo, ever since that day I've been fighting in order to one day return to the Soul Society, AND TAKE MY REVENGE!!!" Kusaka explained as he held the King's Seal right in front of Toushirou "now Toushirou, use your Bankai to split the King's Seal in two!!! Once you've done that everything can be reborn."

"_So Kusaka, you really have…"_ Toushirou thought before they sensed three spiritual pressures arrive.

"Well now so we're the first ones here" Ikkaku stated smugly as he Yumichika and Renji appeared.

"Captain Hitsugaya what is going on here?!" Renji asked desperately "please tell us!!!"

"That's enough Renji, we have our orders to arrest both Toushirou Hitsugaya and the King's Seal thief from the Head Captain, so talking is useless" Ikkaku said calmly.

"Ikkaku Madarame, the Seireitei's finest warrior in terms of combing tactful swordplay with brute force" Kusaka noted.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere" Ikkaku stated before leaping towards Kusaka only to be intercepted and forced back by Toushirou "to defend him with that injury…you must be really serious."

*Five minutes later*

"That's enough; throw down your weapon Hitsugaya!!!" Soi Fon ordered as she and several others appeared on scene followed quickly by dozens of shinigami.

"Captain" Renji stated as Byakuya walked to the front and he broke the grip of Toushirou's chain on his Zabimaru.

"You to whoever you are" Sajin added causing Kusaka to burst out laughing "what's so funny?"

"Toushirou, I believe we've suffered these fools long enough. It's time we end this!!!" Kusaka chuckled as the King's Seal began to glow even brighter "Now do it!!!"

"That does it kill them both" Soi Fon commanded sending the waves of shinigami towards Toushirou and Kusaka.

"_DAMN IT!!!"_ Toushirou swore in his mind.

"GETSUGA TENSHOU!!!" a familiar voice echoed before a wave of rushing black energy crashed into the ground leaving a deep trench between Toushirou and the other shinigami as Ichigo and Rukia descended upon them "Knock it off don't you people realize what a mistake your making?!"

"That's enough out of you!!!" Soi Fon barked "get in the way and we'll kill you to!!!"

"You should listen to him, Captain Soi Fon" a cocky voice echoed shortly before Elaina and Youmei appeared next to Ichigo "you might risk pissing us off."

"The rest of Squad Ten is on its way" Youmei assured Ichigo and Rukia "we're not too sure what's happening here but we'll do what we can for Captain Hitsugaya."

"We locked down the Tenth Squad, how did you escape?" Soi Fon inquired angrily.

"Come on now Captain Soi Fon, did you really think **this** would be enough to stop me?" Elaina asked as she held up a bruised and unconscious Oomaeda in her left hand before she sent him flying into the air with a single kick and he landed on the other side of the plateau.

"Elaina that was unnecessary" Youmei stated.

"Tch, it's Oomaeda" Elaina replied "so no one cares."

"_I'll admit she's right about that"_ Soi Fon thought to herself before shouting "THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING, BACK OFF OR WE'LL KILL YOU ALL!!!" all the shinigami grasped their Zanpakutou.

"Damn it" Ichigo swore as he, Rukia, Elaina, and Youmei took their stances.

"STOP!!!" an old voice commanded strongly causing all head to turn towards the Head Captain as he walked through the crowd closely followed by Rangiku and Shunsui who was being supported by Nanao, he slammed his cane into the ground before saying "so you're still alive Kusaka Soujirou?"

"You thought you had killed me off didn't you?" Kusaka asked with clear amusement "sorry, but you were mistaken."

"I assume that it was the King's Seal that gave you life" Yamamoto stated.

"That's correct and now after years of struggling in Hueco Mundo I have finally returned to claim my revenge and take my rightful place as King of the Soul Society" Kusaka answered.

"You want to be King?! Such arrogance" Yamamoto replied.

"Maybe you're right, after all if anyone knows about arrogance, it would be you old man" Kusaka retorted as he raised the King's Seal "it's time to end this…" his eyes popped open in shock as he swung his sword just in time to block Toushirou's blade taking his head clean off, Kusaka immediately punched Toushirou in the face with his left hand forcing the smaller shinigami back earning a shocked reaction from almost every shinigami on scene.

"Captain!!!" Rangiku gasped in horror as she began to run towards him and Elaina and Youmei were about to do the same thing.

"STAY BACK" Toushirou shouted as he eyed his former friend coldly "this is between me and him!!!"

"What are you doing Toushirou!?" Kusaka asked angrily.

"You're twisted, and I never intended to help you with this pointless plan of yours" Toushirou stated coldly.

"What was that?! Killing me once wasn't enough for you?!" Kusaka replied.

"I'm just trying to atone for my sins" Toushirou answered as he leapt towards Kusaka and forced him back "Kusaka…there's no point for either of us to seek revenge now. The Central Forty Six was annihilated six months ago, the ones who made us fight each other are already dead."

"AND WHO WAS IT THAT GAVE THEM THAT POWER!?" Kusaka yelled "IT WAS THE NOBILITY, THE KING, AND THE THIRTEEN COURT GUARD SQUADS WHO NEVER QUESTIONED EVEN A SINGLE ORDER WHO EFFECTIVELY SIGNED MY DEATH WARRANT AND FOR WHAT?!"

Toushirou said nothing as his eyes began to glow and the sky above him began to blacken, Kusaka's face contorted with rage as the same occurred to him.

"_What's going on here?!"_ Rangiku asked herself in shock _"their spiritual pressures…are identical?!"_

"Reign over the frosted frozen heavens" both men chanted "Hyourinmaru!!!"

"Two Hyourinmaru!?" Rangiku gasped as two serpentine dragons made of ice lunged towards each other as their masters did the same, everyone was stunned by the sight as the cold wind from the two swords forced most of the shinigami present to back off.

"I think I understand now" Rukia stated earning her the attention of all three women from Squad Ten as they watched their Captain battle it out with the thief of the King's Seal "Kusaka was once a noble man who pledged his loyalty to the Soul Society, however since he had the same Zanpakutou as Captain Hitsugaya they were forced to fight each other to the death, as a result he lost not only Hyourinmaru, but his honor as well as his life."

"_They forced him to kill his friend because they had the same Zanpakutou?!"_ Rangiku thought in shock _"so that's why he didn't want to talk about it…"_

"That's why he deserted his post, he couldn't bear the thought of fighting Kusaka as a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads" Ichigo added "It was too painful, he felt that he had to finish this fight on his own even if that meant he might be executed for it."

Rangiku watched as the two shinigami and their respective dragons grappled with each other, she thought back to all the fights she had witnessed him in everything from his fight against Gojou Ikari to the hollow known as 'Draconis'. A cold wind blew past her knocking several shinigami to the ground making her think of the time he had told her about his existence **before** he came to the Soul Society and about how he feared his Bankai would make him more like the hollow he had once been.

"_So what if you were a Vasto Lorde before you came to the Soul Society…"_ Rangiku thought to herself _"…you are you, you're nothing like this so called 'Frozen Devil'…"_ the two shinigami locked blades "…so fight…" she whispered as she forced back tears "…and come back…"

"So you knew that this is how it would play out?!" Kusaka asked harshly over the screech of their weapons.

"Of course I did, it was obvious!!!" Toushirou retorted.

"I see, it would appear that I misunderstood you" Kusaka replied before forcing Toushirou back and holding up the King's Seal "my plan to use a Bankai to split the King's Seal may have failed but it doesn't matter."

"Don't do it!!!" Toushirou commanded just before Kusaka split the King's Seal in two with his own Hyourinmaru, he was instantly surrounded in a twister which threw Toushirou back several yards "Damn it!!!" he swore as he tried to get back up only to see a familiar figure in a tattered black outfit.

"You don't have to face this alone" Ichigo stated "you have friends who can help you…"

"I am no longer a Captain, Ichigo" Toushirou replied as he stood up only to be knocked back down by Ichigo's left hook.

"This isn't about that!!!" Ichigo spat "did you ever take any time to think about how your friends felt?!" Toushirou gave no reply "I used to be like you…" Toushirou looked at him in surprise "…when I was nine my mother died shielding me from a hollow though I didn't know it at the time, after she died I tried to bottle up all the pain so I wouldn't burden my family. But it had the opposite effect. Because I refused to share my pain I ended up hurting everyone close to me!!!"

Toushirou's eyes opened in shock as he looked to Elaina and saw a look of concern mixed with anger, Youmei's face was plastered with worry, and finally he saw Rangiku who bore a mixture of desperation and concern.

"Captain!!!" he heard a familiar voice as several of his subordinates arrived on scene, each had their shikais released.

"Captain Hitsugaya, are you alright?" Another one of them asked as Rangiku, Elaina, and Youmei approached, the latter two had also released their Zanpakutou.

"Damn it Toushirou!!!" Ichigo swore as he stood up again.

"Ichigo, Rangiku, Youmei, Elaina, everyone…" Toushirou said softly as they looked at him "…take your stances he's coming."

Sure enough as soon as the words left his mouth the twister cleared revealing their foe, he had the appearance of a dragon made of ice; unlike Hyourinmaru this dragon was more western style in its appearance, it also had a more humanoid shape to it despite being at least fifteen feet tall.

"Here we go" Ichigo stated calmly, moments later he and Toushirou were almost thrown to the ground as a yellow mass of energy shot right past them "what the Hell is that?!" he asked but then he noticed that it was laughing hysterically.

Everyone gasped when Kenpachi struck Kusaka and effectively severed him from the waist down "tch is that it?" Kenpachi asked in clear disappointment before Kusaka grabbed his sword and his body regenerated before he started laughing.

"That won't be enough" Kusaka stated before Kenpachi began chuckling as well "huh?!"

"I think I'm starting to like you" Kenpachi laughed hysterically "let's have some fun!!!" both monsters went off the cliff and began to fall to the ground as they pounded away at one another.

"That's Zaraki for you" Elaina said lightly.

"Captain Zaraki!!!" Youmei gasped as Kenpachi fell to the ground.

"He'll be fine" Toushirou replied "the real problem is Kusaka, look."

Kusaka's size had effectively increased dozens of times over, his wingspan alone stretched out for at least three city blocks and his spiritual pressure kept skyrocketing. Before anyone could react he let out an earth shaking roar as the tower he had perched himself on froze over and dozens of what appeared to be roots made of ice with the diameter of oak trees shot out crashing into various locations throughout the city, some of the larger ones even reached out into the surrounding Rukongai districts.

"Do not back down" Yamamoto commanded "all able bodied shinigami, execute the felon Kusaka Soujirou immediately!!!"

"Sir" most of the shinigami replied as they drew their swords and leapt on top of the roots.

"It must be snowing be snowing in hell if the old man is giving out orders I can follow" Elaina chuckled as she and Youmei followed suit.

"Let's go Rukia" Ichigo said as he leapt towards his own root.

"I'm right behind you" Rukia replied as she followed him.

"_Theres no way I'm letting you get away Kusaka!!!" _Toushirou swore in his mind as he leapt towards a root as well.

"Captain" Rangiku gasped before she followed him.

The leaders of Squad Six were the first to come within striking distance of their target, both Byakuya and Renji leapt into the air.

"Scatter Senbonzakura" Byakuya chanted sending what appeared to be countless plum blossoms towards Kusaka.

"Roar Zabimaru!!!" Renji commanded as the tip of his weapon rushing after his Captain's attack.

"Useless!!!" Kusaka stated smugly as he created a shield of ice to block Byakuya's Senbonzakura and grabbed Renji's Zabimaru with his hand before slamming Renji into the ground, moments later Kusaka roared throwing dozens of shinigami in various directions before the roots collapsed.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore as he tripped before banging his head into a large hunk of ice knocking him unconscious.

"What in the world is this?!" Jyuushiro asked many of the shinigami who had just tried to charge Kusaka landed on the hill in front of him and what appeared to be a sphere of pure energy began to expand from Kusaka's location and it appeared to engulf everything in its path.

"I'd like to know that myself" a voice stated calmly causing most of the shinigami to look behind them as Alexander appeared from what appeared to be a fountain of black energy, his marks and eyes were both glowing menacingly. The Third Seat of Squad Ten looked as if he had just returned from fighting an entire war on his own; his uniform was ruined due to the fact that its left leg was almost completely gone along with the entire upper right section, both his arm and leg were nearly completely covered in bandages most of which had turned dark red, and he had deep bags under his eyes from sleep deprivation. He was about to collapse but was stopped when a familiar presence braced him from his right side.

"You pushed yourself too hard didn't you?" Retsu asked as she helped him stand up.

"This can happen when you use yourself as an experimental subject" Alexander chuckled.

"I assume you're here because you have results" Yamamoto stated.

"Obviously" Alexander replied as he held up a small brown sac with his left hand "but before that; would someone mind telling me why everyone gathered here like it was some kind of party, why did I sense two Hyourinmaru a few moments ago, and just what the Hell is with that damn sphere?!"

Nemu turned to her father before asking "has the King's Seal's power been fully released master?"

"_King's Seal? Great so somehow or another the Royal Family is involved in all this…"_ Alexander thought to himself.

"Not exactly" Mayuri answered "what we're witnessing right now is the power of the King's Seal spiraling out of control; if left as it is the dome you see will continue to expand until it has destroyed everything."

"Everything?" Shunsui replied "don't get me wrong that spiritual pressure is impressive, but…"

"The King's Seal is an object that allows whoever wields it to control all aspects of reality" Mayuri explained as he looked on "I assure you the King's Seal has the potential to turn an individual into a full-fledged God, creation and destruction are trivial" he took a couple steps forward ignoring the shock from his colleagues "however since this Kusaka boy has yet to master his sword's Bankai he is unable to control the power of the King's Seal which is why this dome has appeared, meaning…"

"Meaning that we're now in the most dangerous situation possible" Yamamoto stated coarsely "all available Captains are to do everything in their power to halt the dome's progression!!!"

"I'll explain the rest later" Retsu assured Alexander as she helped him gently rest on the ground "just leave the rest to me."

*Within the dome*

"_My damn head"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as he woke up to find himself lying flat on his gut, he heard a slight crumbling sound and looked up to see Rangiku holding up a massive block of ice "Rangiku!!!" he gasped as he pushed it back and Rangiku fell to her knees and began breathing heavily "why did you do that?!"

"It's the Lieutenant's job to watch their Captain's back" Rangiku chuckled lightly as she looked into his worried eyes _"thank goodness you're alright."_

"Rukia, are you alright?" Ichigo asked in concern as the two of them emerged from their own pile of ice.

"Yeah I'm fine" Rukia answered.

"I see you guys are still alive as well" Ichigo stated in relief.

"Ah, Mother Fu…" Elaina's voice began from a few yards away.

"Captain Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Matsumoto, are you both alright?" Youmei asked as the two of them stood up.

"Somehow or another" Rangiku replied as Toushirou helped her stand up.

"Ichigo, Rukia" Renji called out as he arrived.

"Glad to see you made it Renji" Ichigo said earnestly.

"Yeah, that's all well and good" Renji began "but take a look at that" he gestured towards what appeared to be four large stone towers supporting what appeared to be a sort of roof about five city blocks in size "I'm guessing Kusaka's built himself some sort of castle."

"His design shows terrible taste" Elaina stated simply as what appeared to be a giant sash stretched out a few yards away before revealing Yoruichi and Soi Fon _"the surprises never end do they?"_

"Ichigo, listen very closely" Yoruichi ordered.

"The Head Captain and the others are doing everything they can to halt the dome's expansion from outside" Soi Fon explained "our orders are to find and eliminate Kusaka."

"How do you recommend we find him?" Ichigo asked.

"Simple use your legs" Yoruichi stated before hundreds of hollows appeared near Kusaka's supposed castle "leave the hollows to us, go after Kusaka."

"Don't worry we'll help out down here as well" Elaina added.

"Finish your business with Kusaka" Youmei said calmly before the four women charged the hollows.

"Well now this sounds like quite the party" Ikkaku called out as he and Yumichika emerged from a nearby alley "hope you don't mind if we crash it."

"Before we go Captain" Rangiku began as she pulled out his haori "take this."

Toushirou could only look at it in surprise before turning to see that his fellow shinigami were all smiling encouragingly, even the officers from Squad Eleven.

The sound of cloth rustling filled the air as Toushirou dawned his haori "Rangiku…" he began as he fastened his sash.

"Sir?" Rangiku asked.

"…watch my back" Toushirou finished.

"Yes sir" Rangiku replied.

"Let's go" Toushirou commanded as he threw the brown cloak he had been wearing to the wind and they all took off _"it's time to put an end to this nightmare, once and for all!!!"_

*Thirty Minutes later*

Toushirou, Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika split from Ichigo and the others in order to cover more ground; both groups had successfully climbed their own tower to reach the top. However they were all immediately confronted by an army of Menos Grande as soon as they arrived, to make things worse the beasts would regenerate almost as quickly as they injured them and despite Toushirou, Ichigo, and Renji all using their Bankais they weren't getting anywhere.

"Captain, do you see that tower in the center where Kusaka's perched?" Rangiku asked "if we clear a path can you use your Daigurren Hyourinmaru to reach him?"

"What are you saying?" Toushirou replied.

"There's no time; if me, Ikkaku, and Yumichika combine our powers we should be able to create an opening" Rangiku explained "you have to use it in order to get Kusaka!"

"Sounds like a plan" Ikkaku stated in clear amusement "she's right you know, but I should be able to handle the opening on my own."

"_What's he talking about?"_ Toushirou and Rangiku pondered.

"So you're going to use it, Ikkaku?" Yumichika asked in equal amusement.

"Yeah" Ikkaku answered as he took his stance "I have but one condition, this stays our little secret…" before he could receive an answer Ikkaku commandingly shouted "…BANKAI!!!" to the shock of both the Captain and the Lieutenant Ikkaku was surrounded in a twister of spirit energy, from the top they could make out what appeared to be a pair of red dragons before it dispersed revealing the Third Seat of Squad Eleven holding a massive blade in each hand attached to a third blade with a dragon etched into it by thick chains behind him "Ryuumon Hozukimaru!!!"

"_So me and Captain Kuchki aren't the only ones with subordinates who can use Bankai"_ Toushirou thought as Ikkaku grasped the middle blade and began to quickly spin it around as the dragon began to glow.

"Listen I can really only do this once so don't hesitate" Ikkaku stated and Toushirou nodded causing the psychotic third seat to smirk widely "now then let's have some fun!!!" the dragon was now completely glowing red as Ikkaku grabbed both the left and right blades before throwing it towards the Menos resulting virtually everything in front to be cut in half.

"_Now's my chance"_ Toushirou thought as he flew through the clearing at full speed, through the corner of his eye he caught the familiar sight of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi and Hihiou Zabimaru clearing a path just before Ichigo used the speed from his Tensa Zangetsu to dash through and leapt ahead of him towards the top _"that is some impressive speed his Bankai gives him…"_ Kusaka immediately sent several ice dragons rushing towards them, Ichigo dodged them using his agility _"…You're not stopping me that easily!"_ Toushirou thought as he steadied his own blade "Daigurren Hyourinmaru!!!" sending an ice dragon several times the size of the ones Kusaka was using rushing towards them, the attack easily broke through the projectiles before wrapping itself around Kusaka and biting into his neck, Ichigo then quickly struck the dragon's skull with his Getsuga Tenshou causing the monstrosity to shatter into countless pieces.

"I'll let you handle it from here" Ichigo said quietly as Toushirou's Bankai disappeared and he landed holding nothing but his sealed katana.

"Toushirou" Kusaka hissed as he dug himself out of the ice.

"It's over" Toushirou stated calmly.

"I think you're right" Kusaka replied as he took his stance "let's finish this…" without saying anything more both masters of Hyourinmaru charged each other, the ringing of their blades broke the dead silence in the air with their loud shrieks.

_Flashback_

"You have no choice" a voice from the rosters declared "now fight!!!"

"Fight!!!"

"Fight!!!"

"Do not defy us!!!"

"Toushirou!!!" Kusaka bellowed as he unsheathed his sword "Hyourinmaru is mine!!!"

"Kusaka don't" the younger Toushirou begged as he charged him forcing him to draw his own blade.

_End Flashback_

"I guess it's true…" Kusaka chuckled weakly as the fragments of his sword fell to the ground and Toushirou's blade stuck out from his back "…you really are a genius, you were ordered to kill me once and you've succeeded yet again…" he coughed suddenly spitting out blood "…but just you wait, I'll live one, I won't stop until I've justified my existence to everyone, you'll see…"

"Kusaka…" Toushirou stated softly "…we will always be friends, I promise…"

"Thank you" Kusaka replied softly before disappearing in what appeared to be dark blue energy and being focused into the familiar shape of the King's Seal.

"Something so small did all that" Ichigo said in amazement as he held it in his hand.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore softly ignoring Ichigo's comment.

"I think he's satisfied now" Ichigo stated catching Toushirou to look at him before he passed him the King's Seal and Toushirou caught it with his left hand "because of this thing he was given a second chance at life, he could've done anything with it but he chose to do what meant most to him…settling his business with you" Ichigo sighed as he looked down solemnly "…so I guess it's alright, though he did put all of us through Hell."

"You may be right" Toushirou replied before he chuckled for the first time in decades.

"Let's head back Toushirou" Ichigo said lightly as he turned to walk away but met a slightly annoyed look from the Captain.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's not Toushirou, it's Captain Hitsugaya, alright?" Toushirou asked, without even receiving a reply Toushirou turned and began to walk away "let's go" he held up the King's Seal _"The question is what to do with this?!"_

*Five minutes later*

"Captain you're back" Rangiku declared happily as she locked her Captain in a rib cracking bear hug causing both Ikkaku and Yumichika to sigh and look off to the distance.

"So you finished your fight with this Kusaka person?" Elaina asked drawing Toushirou's attention to her, Youmei, Soi Fon, and Yoruichi; Toushirou nodded since he was having a little trouble talking do to the lack of oxygen "that's good to hear."

"You're alright as well Ichigo?" Rukia inquired as she arrived followed by Renji and Byakuya.

"Yeah" Ichigo answered.

"Such a joyous gathering" Alexander stated as he and Retsu arrived with their own shunpo "you alright Captain?"

"I think so" Toushirou replied.

"We were out of the loop for quite some time, would anyone mind telling us who exactly this Kusaka person was?" Retsu inquired.

"Right away Captain" Rukia said as she pulled out her sketch book causing Ichigo's face to contort with confusion as she opened it up revealing two bunnies with Toushirou's and Kusaka's hair styles wearing the academy uniform "Kusaka was originally Captain Hitsugaya's best friend back when they were attending the academy" she flipped the page showing the same two figures with what appeared to be small serpentine dragons flying over their heads, naturally the dragons had bunny ears and if you looked closely you could make the faint black outlines of over a dozen additional bunny people "however when the Central Forty Six discovered they had the same Zanpakutou they were forced to fight to the death" she flipped to the final page revealing the bunny with white hair crying as the other laid dying on the ground "the rest I'm sure you know…"

"I see" Retsu and Alexander replied calmly.

"Is something wrong?" Rukia asked.

"They probably could've done without your crappy ass drawings" Ichigo stated bluntly just before Rukia's sketch book hit him square in the nose.

"So what happened to this King's Seal anyway?" Alexander inquired as he took a seat and Retsu began to work on some of his injuries.

"I have it right here" Toushirou replied as he held it out with his left hand "but I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with it."

"That should be clear" a harsh voice declared as Yamamoto appeared drawing everyone's attention towards him "it is to be returned to the Royal family immediately!"

"The way I see it you have three options" Alexander offered ignoring Yamamoto completely.

"He only has one option; that is if he wishes to live" Yamamoto explained.

"Shut up old man" Ichigo spat as he took his stance between Toushirou and the old man along with Renji and Rukia "if anyone has the right to choose, it's Toushirou."

"You're such a hothead Ichigo" Yoruichi stated "but I can't let you fight an enemy like **this** on your own; Soi Fon stand back so you won't get in trouble."

"There's no way I could let you face him with only those idiots to help you, Lady Yoruichi" Soi Fon explained as she too took her stance.

"Hey gramps, watch this" Elaina said rudely as she, Youmei, and Rangiku joined the wall of shinigami between the two Captains and placed her palm on the bottom of her Zanpakutou, without even saying a word it liquefied and transformed her right arm "shikai without even calling its name, now how could I have done that?" she asked rhetorically as Youmei did the same with a flick of her wrist.

"Never thought I'd be going against you again so soon you old fossil" Alexander sighed lightly as his marks appeared and he tried to get up but was stop by Retsu gently placing her hand on his forehead.

"Now, you're in no shape to be picking a fight with the Head Captain Yamamoto" Retsu stated before she opened her eyes and the air seemed to become rather heavy "let me handle this, understand?"

All the other shinigami were terrified, Alexander simply smiled before replying "I love you too" Retsu smiled as she stood next to Rangiku.

"Ikkaku, Yumichika, care to join us?" Rangiku asked.

"A chance to fight old man Yamamoto" Ikkaku began with a smirk "sounds like fun."

"I guess you can count us in" Yumichika added.

"Byakuya" Rukia gasped as Byakuya took his stance in front of her.

"I won't allow anyone to point their blade at my pride" Byakuya said calmly "not even you Head Captain."

"_Captain Kuchki…"_ Youmei thought in surprise before smiling _"…I'm glad you've found some measure of freedom."_

"I doubt you need me to explain this to you, but let me tell you your situation" Alexander began in clear amusement "if you draw your sword it'll be you against ten Captain and three Lieutenant class shinigami; if I were you I'd let Captain Hitsugaya decide which of the three options he wishes."

"What three options are you talking about?" Toushirou asked as he made his way to the front of the gathered shinigami.

"Well your first option is to do what the Head Captain here asks and give him the King's Seal so that it can be returned to the Royal Family" Alexander explained as he stood up and extended his right arm, moments later a small vortex opened in the ground about two feet in diameter as his hand glowed dark black "your second choice would be to toss it into this vortex; if you do that the King's Seal will be lost forever, trapped in the void between dimensions, beyond anyone's grasp. Do I even need to explain your third option?"

"You don't" Toushirou answered as he eyed the King's Seal in his left hand.

"If you were to use your Bankai to split the King's Seal now, you would instantly surpass me, the Head Captain here, and Aizen" Alexander began "do it now and you'll become even more powerful than my father Maximilian Dark-Heart, Esther's Uncle Jacob, your predecessor Gojou Ikari, or even Sousuke Aizen ever dreamed of; by definition you'll become a God. So what will it be?"

"A God huh?" Toushirou said quietly as he looked at the King's Seal in his left hand _"If I break this thing not only will I have the power to utterly destroy Aizen, but I'll be able to completely destroy the nobility, including the King, and to top it all off I'll have the power to forever change how the Soul Society operates…so much good I could do with that kind of power…" _suddenly images of Maximilian, Jacob, Gojou, and Aizen flashed through his mind; he looked towards Rangiku who gave him a supporting look "I've decided" Toushirou stated as he walked up till he was standing only a few feet from the Head Captain and held the King's Seal out with his left hand, Yamamoto extended his right hand as if to accept only to see the younger Captain throw it into the black vortex in front of his Third Seat.

"That was the correct choice" Alexander sighed in relief as the King's Seal sank into the abyss.

"What have you done?!" Yamamoto asked angrily.

"It's too much power, no one should have it; not the King, not you, and not me" Toushirou answered calmly as he turned to his Third Seat "you were testing me weren't you?"

"If you read up on the great leaders in history, whether it's the World of the Living or the Soul Society; one common aspect you'll find is that the first major victory they all experienced was against themselves" Alexander explained "you have just won against yourself; you sacrificed ultimate power for the good of the world. Now more than ever I'm confident you'll succeed in your goal to reform the Soul Society."

"Thank you" Toushirou said gratefully.

"So be it" Yamamoto began "then it falls to me to render a verdict and an appropriate punishment, do you have anything to say?"

The shinigami raised their weapons in response but were stopped by a signal from Toushirou.

"There's something I want you to tell me" Toushirou stated calmly.

"What would that be?" Yamamoto replied.

"When did you throw yourself away?" Toushirou asked causing the old man to open both his eyes in surprise followed by a long silence.

*The next day*

"I still can't believe the old man left without saying a word" Elaina stated in earnest surprise as she and Retsu walked down a hall within the hospital.

"I was quite surprised as well" Retsu assured her as they came up to a room "by the way, the reason I brought you here was because I'd like you to take a look at a patient of mine."

"Okay" Elaina replied as they entered the room and Retsu flipped on a light switch revealing a bed with Saskibe Choujirou lying covered in bandages.

"We found him this morning" Retsu began as she walked up to the Lieutenant of Squad One "we're currently treating him for three cracked ribs, a concussion, two sprained ankles, a broken left arm, a fractured jaw, and over a dozen bruises and other small injuries; do you have any idea what happened to him?"

"I don't know, maybe he fell down some stairs" Elaina offered as she walked towards his right side noting the utter fear in his eyes as she approached "since you can't talk why don't you tell us in writing?" she asked as she offered him a pen and paper and looked into his eyes with a dangerous smirk.

Saskibe quickly wrote 'I fell down some stairs' and signed the paper before handing it over to Retsu.

"My, isn't that clumsy of you Lieutenant?" Retsu asked pleasantly as his eyes darted over to her.

"Don't worry Lieutenant, from this day forward I promise you I'll do all I can to declare an all out war against every last step in the Seireitei, so this won't ever happen again" Elaina said with a wide smirk.

"_Please just get out of my room you crazy girl!!!"_ Saskibe thought desperately as Elaina and Retsu left his room and he sighed in relief.

"You know it's not just Lieutenant Choujirou" Retsu stated as they continued to walk "last night we discovered well over a dozen additional members of Squad One who were in similar shape."

"It would seem we have an epidemic on our hands" Elaina chuckled _"or operation 'Pay Back' was a glorious success"_ she thought to herself as she forced herself not to laugh "well I better get back to my squad."

"I think I'll come with you, I'd like to check up on your father" Retsu replied.

Elaina smiled as she nodded before both women disappeared with a shunpo.

*Squad Ten Training grounds*

"Fifth Seat Dark-Heart, Captain Unohana, welcome" an unseated member greeted the two women as they appeared.

"Where's my Dad?" Elaina asked.

"He's over there sleeping" the man answered as he pointed over to a nearby tree "I don't know what he was doing off on his own but it sure must have drained the Hell out of him."

"Thank you" Retsu replied politely as she and Elaina made their way over to him and allowed the squad members to get back to their training, when they arrived Alexander opened his eyes lightly to acknowledge their presence "my, you're looking better already."

"That's because you did such a good job of fixing me up" Alexander explained as he stood up "another day and I should be good as new."

"I'm glad to hear that" Retsu assured him "by the way I was wanting to ask you something?"

"I'm listening" Alexander said politely.

"What is going on with the weather here in the Tenth Division?" Retsu asked "it appears to be a warm sunny day in the rest of the Seireitei so why is it so cloudy and cold here?"

"That would be Captain Hitsugaya" Alexander answered calmly.

"Right now he's got so much crap going through his head that his powers are effecting the weather within our entire squad" Elaina explained "it's been like this since morning."

"Shouldn't you help him?" Retsu inquired.

"There's no need" Alexander replied "Lieutenant Matsumoto's got it under control."

*The office*

"Captain are you feeling okay?" Rangiku asked in concern as she entered the room which was filled with a cold fog.

"I told you already, I'm fine" Toushirou answered in annoyance as he signed another piece of paper work.

"You don't have to lie to me" Rangiku stated calmly "besides you're not very good at it" Toushirou sighed in defeat "come here" Rangiku ushered him to sit next to her on the couch, Toushirou rolled his eyes as he did what he was told "now tell me what's on your mind."

"I was just thinking about my past…" Toushirou began as Rangiku listened intently, her expression urging him to continue "…before I enlisted in the Academy I lived a rather sad and isolated existence; everyone in the village where I grew up was afraid of me except for Momo and my Grandmother, they would always say that I was 'just like ice' so when I befriended Kusaka I was thrilled because for the first time in my life I had a friend. But then the Central Forty Six forced me to kill him because we had the same Zanpakutou, after that I had given up, I wanted to die, but then Alex and Kaname Tousen helped me find a purpose for my life…" he looked down as he thought back to his Squad Nine days solemnly.

"And?" Rangiku inquired trying to spur him onward.

"For the first time I had some older guys who I could look up to; in Alex I found a mentor and in Kaname Tousen as well as Captains Ukitake and Kuchki I felt I had some fatherly figures in my life" Toushirou continued "I was content with my existence thanks to the four of them as I continued to press towards my goal of becoming Head Captain, however; I failed to save my Grandmother when I was Captain Kuchki's Lieutenant, one of the men I had looked up to as a father betrayed us all, it's possible that the reason I have **the power** I used on that Hallow called Draconis is because Kaname Tousen helped Aizen use me and Alex as Ginny-pigs in one of his experiments, and worst of all I failed to see Aizen for the traitor that he was and Momo ended up getting hurt as a result…"

"Captain" Rangiku said quietly.

"…I worked as hard as I could so I would become stronger, and yet still I failed to…" Toushirou began but was cut off when Rangiku pulled his head into a gentle hug, he couldn't explain it but somehow Rangiku's warmth seemed to have a calming effect on him.

"None of what happened was your fault" Rangiku assured him gently as she ran her fingers through his hair "so stop blaming yourself" she pulled him in a little closer "remember you're not alone anymore; you have me, Youmei, the Dark-Hearts, the Tenth Squad, and the many like minded individuals within the Seireitei who want to see the Soul Society change for the better…"

"Thank you…Rangiku" Toushirou struggled to say.

"Now just let it all out" Rangiku commanded.

Before he knew it Toushirou a pair of cold tears crawl down his cheek for the first time in decades with more following right behind.

"It'll be alright…" Rangiku said softly "…Toushirou…" the tears continued to fall gently.

*Outside*

"What the Hell?!" one soldier asked "it's snowing in July?!" as he and his comrades looked to the sky to see the snowflakes gently blanketing their squad.

"Looks like Lieutenant Matsumoto was successful" Alexander stated with a pleased expression on his face.

"Captain Hitsugaya's changed" Elaina noted "before, I don't think he would ever have opened up to anyone before."

"You're right" Alexander assured her as he placed a hand on her shoulder "and I'm sure for the sake of his goals he'll continue to change" Retsu smiled in approval as a few snowflakes fell on her head.

" He'll continue to change…" Elaina whispered.

"_You can change Elaina; I couldn't so you'll have to do it for me…"_

"_I understand Mom"_ Elaina thought to herself as snow began to pile up on her head and shoulders.

"Now, now Elaina, you can't just stand there and let the snow pile on top of you" Retsu told her softly as she brushed her off "you'll catch a cold."

Elaina chuckled "thanks, Mother."

*Two Weeks Later*

Toushirou had been put in charge of a team of shinigami tasked with assisting Ichigo against the newly perfected Arrancar that Aizen had created using the Hogyoku. The team consisted of himself, Rangiku, Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Rukia; they had fought against a team of Arrancar recently, the sheer strength of even their weaklings had forced the Captains and Lieutenants among them to remove their limiters in order to win. For the sake of communication, Toushirou set up a special terminal within Orihime's apartment where she was letting him and Rangiku stay, he had just finished setting it up when Orihime walked in on him and Rangiku.

"You finished quickly Captain Hitsugaya" Yamamoto stated as he appeared on screen and both leaders of Squad Ten gave a quick bow of respect "the reason I asked you set up communication so quickly was because we believe we've discovered Aizen's true objective."

Both Toushirou and Rangiku gasped while Orihime said "I think I better leave for now…"

"Wait" Yamamoto commanded "this concerns you as well Orihime Inoue" Orihime nodded in understanding.

"What is Aizen after?" Toushirou asked.

"The King's Key" Yamamoto answered earning a shock from Toushirou before he continued to explain to Orihime what the King's Seal was, how it's location was passed on from Head Captain to Head Captain, but worst of all how Aizen planned to create it at the costs of obliterating Karakura town.

"We have to stop him no matter what" Orihime declared.

"Do not worry" Yamamoto assured her "the Thirteen Court Guard Squads exist to protect the World of the Living, and protect it we **will**!!!" Orihime looked at Rangiku who nodded to assure her "please go inform the Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki as soon as you can."

"Right away" Orihime replied before she raced out the door.

"I better go tell Renji and the others" Rangiku stated.

"One moment Lieutenant Matsumoto" Yamamoto called stopping her in her tracks "before you go I believe I have news you'll both find interesting."

"What would that be?" Rangiku asked.

"Yesterday, your Third Seat successfully passed the second stage of the Captain's exam" Yamamoto answered causing both Rangiku and Toushirou's eyes to open in pleasant surprise "meaning that the only test left is the Third Stage; a one on one fight against a current Captain, whom he must either defeat or force to acknowledge him as being worthy to become a Captain himself."

"May I ask who he'll be facing?" Toushirou inquired.

"Squad Seven Captain Sajin Komamura" Yamamoto replied "the fight is scheduled for noon tomorrow; you may watch it from this terminal if you wish."

"I appreciate that" Toushirou said gratefully _"though I know the results."_

"I'm going to inform Renji and the others now" Rangiku said in a mixture of excitement and concern as she raced out the door.

"_Such a troublesome woman"_ Toushirou thought in annoyance as he tried to follow her.

"Wait there is someone who has been waiting patiently to talk to you" Yamamoto said before he stepped aside causing Toushirou to freeze in shock.

"Momo…" Toushirou said softly in surprise.

**Author's Notes: And that was Chapter 19 Ladies and Gentlemen, please leave a review to tell me what you liked or didn't like (it's how I improve), visit my profile to vote on my next Fanfiction project once I'm done with this story, and if you're looking for something interesting consider taking up my challenge.**

**I really can't say for certain when I'll update next for four reasons:**

**Yesterday I bought a copy of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and it kicks ass**

**On the 17th Assassin's Creed 2 comes out and I'm looking forward to it**

**On the 20th I turn 20 **

**My Aunt and Uncle will be visiting from out of town so I'll probably be wrapped up in whatever insanity follows them here (I come from an amusing family XD) **

**Anyway I appreciate your patients and I hope you'll stay tuned to see Alexander's Bankai, the fight between him and Sajin Komamura (place your bets now), and God only knows what other forms of insanity will break loose in ****Ch. 20 Twilight**


	20. Twilight

**Author's Notes: This is a short update but it's one I've been looking forward too so please Read and don't forget to review.**

**I still don't own Bleach or Devil May Cry**

**Ch. 20 Twilight**

"Momo…" Toushirou softly gasped as she looked up at him, her flesh had become considerably pale over the past several months, while only receiving nutrients through an IV had left her considerably thinner than he recalled, and two deep bags had formed under eyes "…should you really be up and walking about?"

"I'm fine Toushirou thanks for asking" Momo replied weakly with a smile.

"I'm glad" Toushirou stated _"idiot, you don't look fine…"_

"Hey Toushirou, I just wanted to say I'm sorry" Momo struggled to say without choking "I lost faith in you…and I attacked you…"

"You're still worrying over crap like that?!" Toushirou asked causing her to look at him surprise "look I couldn't care less about it so don't worry" he added _"the truth is that I blame Aizen not you…"_

"I see" Momo sighed in relief.

"As for you, you should get some sleep and get rid of those bags under your eyes, otherwise you won't grown an inch" Toushirou stated smugly causing her to open her eyes in shock "I mean look at Rangiku, you'll have to sleep for at least ten straight years if you want to catch up to her."

"Shut up!" Momo replied as she tried to stand tall over him through the screen "you're hardly one to talk about growing Tou…"

"Momo" Toushirou interrupted "I'm not going to remind you again, I'm not just Toushirou anymore. I'm Captain Hitsugaya of Squad Ten, you got it?"

Momo was silent for a moment before she smiled and said "Yes I suppose you are…" Toushirou cracked a small smile at the recognition "Say can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Toushirou inquired.

Silence filled the room for several seconds "Are you going to fight against Captain Aizen?" Momo asked causing Toushirou to freeze in place "are you going to kill...Captain Aizen?" his eyes opened in shock "Please…please save Captain Aizen" her body began to shake "I understand that what Captain Aizen is doing is wrong…but…but he must have good reasons for doing it" Toushirou felt his heart rate accelerate as she looked up desperately "that's it Ichimaru or someone must be…" a hand stretched out and her eyes went blank before she fainted and Saskibe caught her.

"My apologies, it would appear that I shouldn't have brought her out" Yamamoto said with a hint of sincerity.

"No, thank you Head Captain" Toushirou replied.

"In a few days there will be a Captain's meeting, to discuss the results of your Third Seat's research" Yamamoto stated "I expect your attendance via this terminal."

"Of course" Toushirou said in understanding as the screen went blank and he gripped his right fist tightly _"damn you Aizen!!!"_

*The next morning*

"_Is this a hollow I'm sensing?" _Toushirou asked himself as he walked down a street just by the river _"no it's too strong and controlled, this is an Arrancar!!!"_ he immediately consumed a gikon and popped out of his gigai before disappearing with a shunpo.

"So this is the world of the living" a male Arrancar with an unusually long but thin torso, short black hair, and intense red eyes; his mask fragment covered his left eye and stretched several inches behind his head to form what appeared to be a long pointy horn and his hollow hole was located on his chest just above where his heart would be. He looked to his left and quickly drew his katana to block Toushirou's blade "so a shinigami has already come to visit me?"

"Get lost" Toushirou hissed as he placed his left hand over his chest and chanted "limit release" moments later the Arrancar was thrown due to the sudden increase in force.

"Not bad kid" The Arrancar replied with a smirk as he regained his composure "My name is Dragón (Spanish for Dragon [go figure])"

"Captain of Squad Ten Toushirou Hitsugaya" Toushirou stated "and I'm in a bad mood right now, so get lost!"

"Sorry kid, but dragons like me live for combat" Dragón replied as he held his Zanpakutou in front of him "from what I've heard you already know about Resurrección…" Toushirou slanted his eyes at his words "…ravage Endriago (another Spanish word for dragon)"

Dragón's body was consumed in flames for a couple moments before he emerged revealing that his outfit had disintegrated, his body had become even more serpentine and now stretched well over twelve feet in length, about three feet from his head stretched two large wings, his limbs were considerably shorter and he had scales covering his entire body, his mask now covered his entire face with flames shooting out from his eyes and mouth.

"What's wrong? Are you frightened?" Dragón asked as he blew some flames into the air above his head "I suppose it's only natural since your fighting against a dragon!!!"

"I'll give you one chance to avoid getting hurt" Toushirou warned "tell me everything you know about Aizen; where in Hueco Mundo is he, what is he up to at the moment, and what are his plans. Once you've told me that get out of my sight."

Dragón laughed hysterically "I like you kid, you have guts; but you need to learn to cower in fear before a dragon" he said without even the slightest sign of fear before flying towards him at full speed, his entire front being covered in intense flames.

"You really should can it with all the dragon talk, especially when you're such a poor excuse for one" Toushirou stated as he avoided the attack with a shunpo.

"What was that?!" Dragón replied angrily as he tried to charge him again.

"Reign over the frosted frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru" Toushirou chanted coldly creating a dragon of water and ice which slammed into Dragón and pummeled him into the ground, when the dragon disappeared the Arrancar was lying on the ground covered in ice "es terminado(It's over)… now tell me everything about Aizen, you Arrancar, and these so called Espada before I render you to dust."

"I'm afraid I probably don't have anything to tell you that you don't already know, I left Aizen shortly after I evolved" Dragón replied.

"Why would you do that?" Toushirou asked not believing a word of what he was saying.

"You're a dragon as well, so you should understand" Dragón began "even the weakest of us are not meant to be used by anyone, or to be locked in some hell hole like Los Noches; I may be nowhere near as strong as the Espada, but there is still no way I could ever allow myself to be tied down by another existence, even when I was nothing more than a lowly hollow hunting the plains of Hueco Mundo alone I had that sense of pride, even evolving into an Arrancar did not change that…my way…the way of the Dragon, shall always be one of freedom and ultimate destruction…now kill me."

"I see so you're just a stubborn killing machine with no information of value what so ever" Toushirou stated coldly as he raised his blade and looked into his eyes with disgust.

"Those eyes of yours…" Dragón chuckled "…they're just like one of the Espada's…"

Toushirou swung his sword vertically in an attempt to split Dragón's head in half but he was stopped midway by a hand that had grabbed his wrist shocking the Arrancar and causing the Captain to turn his head to see Rangiku standing to his right.

"That's enough Captain" Rangiku said calmly "he's beaten."

"Have it your way" Toushirou replied coldly.

"A dragon being stopped in his tracks by a mere woman…" Dragón struggled to say as he began to fade "…what a disgrace…" his body gave way to his injuries and he vanished.

"Why are you here Rangiku?" Toushirou asked coldly.

"Why am I here?!" Rangiku replied as if she couldn't believe her ears "because I sensed you release your limiter and then I arrive to find you going all out on a small fry" she let go of his hand "Captain, what's the matter."

"It's nothing, I'm sorry" Toushirou lied reflexively.

"I thought I told you you're no good at lying" Rangiku stated calmly "you didn't leave Orihime's apartment for several minutes after I left yesterday, what happened?" Toushirou remained silent "let me guess, something about Momo?"

"How'd you know?" Toushirou asked in shock.

"Aside from Youmei and the Dark-Hearts there's no one else in the Soul Society who could affect your behavior to this extent" Rangiku explained "did something happen, did her condition change?"

"She woke up" Toushirou answered realizing he wasn't going to keep anything hidden from Rangiku "after you left me and her talked for a couple minutes."

"How is she?" Rangiku inquired.

"Physically she looked the part of someone who just woke up from a coma; her face was pale, she appeared to have lost a lot of weight, and she had some deep bags under her eyes…" Toushirou began "of course once she's gotten out into the sun a bit, eaten a few good meals, and had a few days of natural sleep those problems should disappear…"

"So what's the problem?" Rangiku replied.

"Mentally, Aizen still seems to have a grip on her…" Toushirou said weakly "…before our conversation ended, she asked me to save Aizen…" Rangiku was astonished at what she was hearing "…right now, I just have no idea what I'm supposed to do…"

"Captain…let's go back to the apartment and watch the fight between Alex and Captain Komamura, we need to get your mind off that…" Rangiku stated calmly _"Momo you better pray I don't get my hands on you!!!"_

*Orihime's apartment*

"Ah, Toushirou, Rangiku you're back" Orihime said happily as her new roommates entered "would you like some ice-cream with bean paste topping before we watch your friend's match?"

"_Ice cream with bean paste topping?!"_ Toushirou thought as he imagined such a dish.

"Sound's great" Rangiku replied happily earning her a shocked look from her Captain.

"_Women…"_ he thought dryly as they sat down and turned on the monitor.

*Soul Society*

Head Captain Yamamoto stood sternly in the middle of a large field in the east side of the Seireitei, to his left stood the Captain of Squad Six Byakuya Kuchki who along with the Captain of Squad Seven had helped preside over the previous two stages of the Captain's Exam, to his right stood his trusty Lieutenant Saskibe Choujirou who was holding the haori that would go to the candidate of this last test should he succeed; dozens of other shinigami had gathered around including the officers of Squad Ten who wanted to see their Third Seat pass the exam, the Lieutenant and seated officers of Squad Seven were there to support their Captain who they admired greatly, the Lieutenants and seated officers of Squads Three and Nine were there since it was possible that one of their squads was about to receive a new leader. Shunsui and Ukitake stood behind Yamamoto curious to see how the Third Seat of Squad Ten would fair against a Captain in a one on one fight, while Retsu was standing with Youmei and Elaina. A few yards in front of all these observers were dozens of members of Squad One who were generating a barrier in order to contain any explosions that were likely to result from the approaching match; about two hundred yards on the opposite side of the barrier stood the two combatants. One was a giant of a figure who wore plate armor over his hands in feet to cover his fur though his wolf like head was now exposed due to fight he had with Kenpachi a few months earlier, he was the Captain of Squad Seven Sajin Komamura, about five yards away stood Alexander Dark-Heart the Third Seat of Squad Ten who was seeking a two rank promotion.

"I want to ask you something before we begin" Sajin stated calmly as he eyed the former subordinate of his old friend intently.

"I'll answer the best I can" Alexander assured him.

"I wanted to ask if you earnestly meant what you said during the first test?" Sajin asked.

"You mean the Interview to determine if I had an appropriate personality to be a Captain?" Alexander inquired and Sajin nodded.

_Flashback_

"Say old man, is there a reason why you're having me take this test with marks out?" Alexander asked curiously as he sat across from Yamamoto, Sajin, and Byakuya.

"Those marks of yours appear every time you use your spirit energy and trigger this change of behavior in you correct?" Yamamoto replied and Alexander nodded "I want to make sure that your personality remains stable enough while under pressure before we test your tactical and fighting prowess."

"That makes sense" Alexander stated lightly as he nodded in understanding.

"In any case let us begin with the first question" Yamamoto continued "what are your thoughts regarding Sousuke Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tousen, and the Central Forty Six?"

"If all those three did was annihilate the Central Forty Six, I'd have nothing against them" Alexander answered bluntly "it was all the other stuff they did that pissed me off…such as nearly killing Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Hinamori when they stabbed us in the back to steal the Hogyoku; I swear if I get the chance Aizen and Ichimaru are as good as dead!!!"

"Why don't you begrudge them for killing the Central Forty Six?" Yamamoto inquired.

"Let's see here" Alexander began as he held up his right hand "they were a bunch of corrupt tools of the nobility…" he raised his right pinky "...they refused to share the secret of how to cleanse hollows with my people and drove them to the brink of insanity…" he raised his ring finger "…they had a real knack for looking the other way whenever someone from a rich enough family was up to something illegal…" he extended his middle finger "…they tried to kill me after the end of the Second World War because possessing two unique Zanpakutou made me too much of an abomination to be allowed to live…" he stretched out his index finger "…and about forty years ago they forced two kids to fight to the death because they had the same Zanpakutou" he finally lifted his thumb.

"After the failed attempt to execute Rukia Kuchki you intervened in my fight against Captains Ukitake and Kyouraku" Yamamoto continued "why?"

"I was originally following you to gather data on your Zanpakutou in case the situation got to the point that we would have to fight you" Alexander explained "however when I heard you say that the two of them were like sons to you and then I saw you release your sword without hesitation, the simple truth is that I found the sight of you breathing offensive."

"Care to explain" Yamamoto requested calmly.

"Anyone who's capable of drawing their swords on their own children without hesitation is a bastard of the highest caliber" Alexander answered "I can't speak for Captains Kyouraku and Ukitake, but I was trying to carve your heart out in that fight."

_End Flashback _

"Whenever those marks appear on a member of my clan they tend to warp our personalities to a more demented and juvenile state…" Alexander explained "…however I did earnestly mean the words I said that day."

Sajin's face contorted with rage at his words "I will never acknowledge someone who tried to kill Head Captain Yamamoto" an intense spiritual pressure erupted from the beastly Captain, his loyalty to the Ancient Head Captain could be felt by anyone with an ounce of perception along with unfathomable courage.

"Then I suppose I'll have to do this the hard way" Alexander stated calmly as his marks appeared, his nails and teeth morphed into fangs and claws, his eyes turned demonic, and an equally dense and powerful spiritual pressure erupted from him. Anyone who looked into this spiritual pressure would be able to detect a number of seemingly contradictory forces; there was hatred coupled with love, an all consuming despair was present along with an unrelenting hope, it was as if the very forces of Light and Darkness had melded together to form a single existence.

"Tell me something, what are you?" Sajin asked in disgust "a Human or a Demon, a Shinigami or a Warlock?"

"That's simple…" Alexander replied.

"BEGIN!!!" Yamamoto's loud voice echoed.

Sajin opened up by trying to slam his right fist into the ground where Alexander stood, his opponent however quickly disappeared in a surge of black energy, the next thing he knew he felt a pair of feet kick him from behind sending him staggering back a few feet.

"…The answer is all of the above" Alexander finished before placing both his hands together and chanting "Hadou 73: SoranSoukatsui" two blue fireballs raced towards their target as they spiraled around one another before creating a large explosion, moments later a large boulder shot out from the dust on a crash course with Alexander's chest "Warlock Art: Demonic Protection!!!" a black shield the size of his body appeared in front of him only to shatter from the sheer force of the boulder before it crashed into his chest and forced him back several yards.

"I assume you realize" Sajin stated as the dust cleared revealing him to be covered in dust and small burns but otherwise unharmed "that there is a great river which separates you from me."

"You're half right" Alexander chuckled as he brushed himself off "in a contest of physical strength and endurance you have me beat, there's no denying that" he smiled devilishly before adding "and yet I'm probably the worst kind of opponent for you to face."

"Care to enlighten me?!" Sajin asked as he leapt towards his opponent with a vicious right hook, his eyes opened in shock as Alexander quickly ducked to avoid his attack.

"I'd be glad to" Alexander replied as he leapt up with both legs while performing an upward swiping motion with the claws on his left hand, Sajin leapt back just in time to avoid a finishing blow as five arcs of energy shot into the air, he lowered his left hand over his chest to feel blood flowing from five shallow cuts on his chest "it's true there does seem to be a great river that divides me from you in terms of physical strength and endurance, however. The difference that divides you from me in terms of speed and kidou is a vast ocean in comparison" Alexander began to radiate black energy.

"_What's he?!"_ Sajin thought to himself as an orb of black energy formed in both of Alexander's palms before they appeared to draw in black energy from the air surrounding them.

"I should warn you, Captain Komamura. You better take me seriously or else…" Alexander disappeared with a shunpo and appeared only a foot or so away from Sajin "…you'll die" Sajin leapt back as he saw Alexander punch forward with both palms still holding the orbs, to Sajin's surprise he immediately slammed his forearms together while keeping his palms pointed towards him, the two orbs merged into one larger orb before Alexander chanted "Warlock Art: Anima" a blast of black energy shot towards Sajin who instinctively shielded himself with both arms.

"_This is absurd" _Sajin thought as the blast slammed into his arms and the armor over his hands shattered, the explosion forced him back another dozen or so yards before he managed to regain his footing.

"Do you understand now?" Alexander asked calmly as he looked at Sajin's hands which were both bleeding and had small amounts of smoke hissing from burnt patches of his own fur "it doesn't matter if your stronger than me since I've made this a contest of speed and kidou; you can't beat me in hand to hand combat."

"Crush, Tengen" Sajin chanted as he drew his sword with his right hand before making a punching gesture towards Alexander with his left hand, before Alexander could react a giant armored fist appeared from the air and slammed into the ground next to him.

"Darkness, spread across the universe and consume all evil…" Alexander chanted as he leapt from the dust cloud holding both his Zanpakutou; his kimono was ripped in several locations and a small cut above his left eye was oozing blood "Light, dash across creation and obliterate the wicked; Kokuhyou, Nehan!!!" his swords transformed as he landed about thirty yards away from Sajin "this is where things get messy" Sajin swung his sword down followed immediately by a large armored copy of his right hand holding a long curved sword the length of a football field "Protect Nehan" he commanded as he swung Nehan over his head creating a barrier which blocked the sword before Alexander dashed towards Sajin with a shunpo.

"No use" Sajin declared as he punched towards Alexander with his left fist slamming the Warlock with the after-image which sent him flying over thirty yards.

Alexander dug his swords into the ground to regain his footing, when he stopped he immediately extended his right arm and braced it with his left hand before chanting "Hadou 88: Hiryugekizokushintenraiho" two large blasts of blue energy shot towards Sajin as they spiraled around each other "I call upon the divine light of the heavens, join upon my blade and release thy fury…" he continued as he pointed Nehan towards his target "…Meimeikanshiki!!!" a blast of white energy shot out right behind the kidou.

"_Combining a high level kidou with his Zanpakutou's special attack…"_ Sajin thought as he flipped Tengen upside down in his right hand _"…he's not playing around!!!"_ he crossed his arms as if to brace himself for impact generating an armored copy of his position which had an extra layer of protection thanks to the way he was holding his Zanpakutou, the two spells collided with his shikai generated shield causing an enormous explosion which created a mushroom cloud of dirt and left a crater about fifteen yards in diameter in the ground between the two combatants.

"I see, so you're using the extra range and attack size of your shikai in order to counteract my speed advantage" Alexander stated as the dust cleared revealing both men to be covered in dirt but otherwise unaffected by the explosion "what's more you're utilizing your Shikai's defensive abilities to ensure my kidou doesn't hit; I must admit it's potent, blocking number 88 alone is amazing but blocking it and Meimeikanshiki is beyond incredible."

"You seem rather calm considering the situation" Sajin retorted as he flipped Tengen back to his normal stance.

"Of course I am" Alexander replied "after all your defenses have a weakness, and I'm about to exploit it" he pulled up Kokuhyou before chanting "I call upon the darkest shadows of hell, gather before me and strike my enemies, Kurohari!!!"

Sajin looked down at the ground just in time to see that his own shadow began to move on its own, he immediately leapt over a dozen feet in the air before several black needles popped from the ground where he had been standing and followed him into the air _"no choice"_ Sajin thought as he made a kicking gesture towards the ground causing an armored copy of his feet to appear stopping the spell in its tracks, suddenly the sound of the ground breaking from below to both his left and right caused his eyes to open in shock as more black needles shot out from both spots _"Damn it"_ he swore as he punched towards the attacks with both hands and armored copies blocked the spell.

"You're wide open" Alexander said calmly causing Sajin's eyes to open in horror as he appeared right in front of him, without even a moment's hesitation Alexander swung Kokuhyou diagonally cutting Sajin from his right shoulder down to the left side of his stomach, a small wave of blood erupted from the wound.

"_What is this?!"_ Sajin screamed in his mind as he landed on his back and he felt as if every square inch of his body was on fire.

"You should give up now" Alexander stated as he landed gently a few feet away "anyone cut by Kokuhyou has their body attacked from the inside by their own darkness; with a wound that deep even someone as strong as you shouldn't push it."

"My own Darkness?" Sajin asked as pulled himself up, he was now sweating heavily, and his breathing had become incredibly hard.

"That's right; all souls no matter how noble they may be carry darkness within them in the form of negative emotions and follies. Some of the most famous examples would be the Seven Deadly Sins known as Vanity, Sloth, Envy, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, and Wrath" Alexander began as he swung Kokuhyou to remove the blood from the blade "this sword Kokuhyou draws on these negative aspects in order to attack an opponent from the inside, which is why I'm grateful to possess Kokuhyou…it's the perfect sword for punishing evil, while Nehan excels in saving the good…"

"I see…you truly are a gifted warrior" Sajin replied as he took his stance and his spiritual pressure began to rise "…but my resolve remains unbroken, I will never acknowledge someone who tried to kill Head Captain Yamamoto as a Captain…"

"Don't do it" Alexander warned.

"BANKAI!!!" Sajin shouted as an armored Samurai warrior the size of a thirty story skyscraper appeared behind him "Kokujoutengenmyouou!!!" Alexander leapt back as Sajin swung Tengen with all his strength and the armored giant did the same, slamming his blade into the ground in front of Alexander creating a mushroom cloud at least five times larger than the one caused by Alexander's spells and leaving a crater about fifty yards in diameter "did I get him?"

"May I ask you something?" Alexander asked as the dust cleared revealing him to still be standing though badly beaten with Kokuhyou and Nehan sticking out of the ground in front of him; his kimono top was shred to ribbons leaving him bare-chested, almost every square inch of his upper body was covered in cuts, scrapes, and bruises "why are you going so far for the Head Captain?" Sajin was silent as he pulled his blade back his breathing only intensified "even someone as strong as you must be feeling an incredible strain from using your Bankai in that condition, if you're not careful you could wind up killing yourself…so why?"

"I grew up in the outskirts of Rukongai" Sajin began "because of my appearance everyone was afraid of me, until the day he found me and saved my life" Alexander's eyes seemed to open slightly in understanding "on that day I swore to repay his kindness with my absolute loyalty and service" he steadied his sword "that is why I will never yield to someone who tried to kill Head Captain Yamamoto, my Bankai is the unmovable object which shall always stand strong in defense of the Head Captain!!!"

"I see, that does make sense" Alexander stated calmly as his own spiritual pressure began to climb sharply, black and white energy began to encircle him "in that case it would be rude of me not to use this…"

"Tell me, why are you so determined to become a Captain?" Sajin inquired as he took his stance "is it for power or status?!"

"No, I wish to become a Captain for a number of reasons" Alexander began "it's so I can better help Captain Hitsugaya in his goals for change, to do my own part in influencing the course of history for the better, and because there is an old friend whom I wish to save if possible."

"An old friend?" Sajin replied.

"Yes, if possible I wish to save Kaname Tousen before he's consumed by the madness he's been entangled in" Alexander stated calmly causing Sajin to look at him in shock "let me tell you a little story about the danger of blind loyalty; over one hundred years ago near Washington D.C. only a couple decades after the American Civil War there was a boy who was completely dedicated to his father. Their family was part of an ancient and proud clan of humans with special powers who sought to eliminate war from the world, in fact the boy's father was the leader of this clan; the boy admired his father so much that he thought nothing of it when his father made him into a child soldier at the age of thirteen."

"_He couldn't be talking about"_ Sajin thought.

"For four years the boy carried out his father's will; he stole countless valuables, indoctrinated hollows, and killed many innocent people" Alexander continued "by the time the boy was sixteen he had remained loyal to his father, but he had betrayed his conscience. At the age of seventeen he finally realized that what his father was doing was wrong and turned against him in a battle that would determine the course of history, but it was too late; his hands were already stained with the blood of countless innocent people, and in the end the father and son killed each other off."

"_That's horrible"_ Sajin thought in disgust.

"The father's name was Maximilian Dark-Heart and his son was known as Prince Alexander Dark-Heart" Alexander finished.

"So that's why the Head Captain's actions upset you?!" Sajin replied "because he made you think of your own father?!"

"That's only part of it…it's also because I'm a father myself" Alexander answered "the day I adopted Elaina I swore that I would never hurt her, that I wouldn't be like Maximilian, that's why I can't look favorably on anyone who could draw their swords on their children biological or otherwise without a moment's hesitation. It's that lack of humanity that's responsible for twisting both the World of the Living and the Soul Society" he grabbed Nehan with his right hand and he picked up Kokuhyou with his left before slamming them together "Bankai…" he was immediately surrounded in a whirlwind of black and white energy.

*With the spectators*

"So he's using his Bankai" Elaina said calmly before she smirked widely.

"This should be good" one of the gathered soldiers said in excitement "he's about to demolish Captain Komamura isn't he?"

"You're damn right" Elaina assured him as the dust cleared revealing her father _"to wear the darkness he dawned his robe…"_ Alexander was now wearing a jet black cloak as opposed to his shinigami attire with silver markings spreading out in a thorn like pattern.

"…_to combat evil he raised his sword…" _Toushirou thought as he watched from Orihime's apartment ignoring the fact that both Rangiku and Orihime were eating ice-cream topped with bean paste; instead of two long swords Alexander was now holding a single sword the size of his body similar in shape to Ichigo's Zangetsu, the edge of the blade was dark silver and it stretched all the way down to the tip of the handle, the blade itself was covered by black and white energy which continued to flow about the blade and overlap each other, and etched into the center was a demonic eye in the middle of a pair of angel wings.

"…_and to chase the light he spread his wings"_ Retsu thought as she looked at the pair of snow white Angel wings attached to his back opened up revealing a six foot wingspan.

*Back with Sajin and Alexander*

"_What kind of Bankai is this?!"_ Sajin asked himself as he looked at his opponent. Aside from the Cloak, the Sword, and the wings his body also appeared to have changed; he still had the fangs and claws from earlier, but his black marks had disappeared, and his hair had turned golden blonde.

"…Hakumeitenshi (Twilight Angel), Kokuhyou and Nehan" Alexander chanted softly as he opened his eyes, his irises were still shaped like slits, but his pupils had returned to their normal green color "you said your Bankai was an immovable object right?"

"_Here he comes" _Sajin panicked slightly as he took his stance and Alexander took off with a strong flap of his wings into the air towards the giant's head, Sajin swung Tengen in an attempt to hammer the flying target.

Alexander dodged the blade with a second flap of his wings as he readied his blade "then how about I show you an unstoppable force?" without slowing down Alexander flipped the blade of his sword and drove it into Sajin's Bankai with both hands creating a deep gash as he flew up to the top, when Alexander reached the middle of the head he swung the sword to his right freeing it from the massive Bankai and forcing it back several very large steps.

"_Impossible his sword cut through the armor like it was nothing"_ Sajin thought in concern as he made a swiping motion with his left fist.

Alexander looked to his right just in time to see an armored fist quickly approaching Alexander swung his blade diagonally just in time to keep the attack from striking him directly, Alexander pushed with all his might and succeeded in forcing the fist back leaving a large gash across three of its fingers, he looked down just in time to see the giant's blade coming straight at him, Alexander quickly blocked with his own sword but was thrown several dozen yards into air above the head.

"Damn it, it doesn't matter that my sword can cut it if I can't get in deep enough to do some real damage!!!" Alexander swore as he regained his control.

"_No matter what happens, even if your path is covered in mud, you must keep moving forward"_ Esther's voice echoed in his mind.

"Kokuhyou, Nehan" Alexander said in a commanding tone "get ready for number four…"

"_Hell Yeah"_ Kokuhyou replied in delight in his mind.

"_Right away"_ Nehan added as Alexander flew towards the giant armored Bankai and swung his sword vertically, Sajin blocked it by holding Tengen horizontally and his Bankai imitated his posture locking blades with Alexander in mid air above his Bankai's head and generating countless sparks from the friction.

"Let's finish this" Alexander stated calmly as he gripped the handle of his sword with both hands before chanting "I call upon the Black Light and the White Darkness, gather before me to strike my enemy; my right arm is the sloth that drags humanity through the quagmire of war and my left arm is the unstoppable resolve that leads them to new peace…" his sword became surrounded in a thick grey energy as he chanted "…Hakumeiken(Twilight Blade)!!!"

Sajin and all the spectators watched in amazement as they grey energy took the form of an extension of Alexander's sword extending its range to over thirty yards, they were even more shocked when they saw it slice through the giant sword in an instant before Alexander used it to split the body of Sajin's Bankai as he quickly flew to the ground, the energy extension disappeared as soon as Alexander finished the cut, Alexander landed a few feet from Sajin before placing the tip of his sword directly in front of his opponent's throat; Sajin was too shocked to react as the fragment of his Bankai's sword landed several dozen yards away and the two halves of his Bankai's main body quickly crashed into the grounds on both sides of him.

*With Yamamoto and the others*

"That's pretty impressive" Shunsui stated in earnest surprise and Jyuushiro nodded in agreement as he was too stunned to even comment on what he had just witnessed _"so that's the power Esther helped you achieve…congratulations my former subordinate."_

"It would seem that the battle is over" Byakuya said calmly.

"Indeed" Yamamoto replied just as calmly "drop the barrier, Captain Unohana I want you to treat both…" he didn't need to finish, as soon as the barrier dispelled Retsu and Elaina led the charge of onlookers towards the spot where both competitors were standing.

*Back with Alexander and Sajin*

"That was quite a match" Alexander chuckled as he lowered his blade and began to breathe heavily "I still can't believe you forced me to use one of **those**."

"What was that?" Sajin asked still dumbfounded by the sheer amount of power that had just been displayed.

"In addition to a boost in offense and mobility, as well as the ability to fly my Bankai also has seven special spells which I call 'The Seven Spells of Sin and Virtue', one for each of the Seven Deadly Sins and a corresponding virtue, the one you just saw was number four; it's Deadly Sin is Sloth and its virtue is Resolve" Alexander answered "it's powerful but it only lasts for five seconds and it drains a lot of spirit energy, at most I'd be able to use it twice in one fight before I ran out of energy."

"So you have six more" Sajin stated "are they all that powerful?"

"They each have their uses, but their all very draining" Alexander explained "in fact I can only use my most powerful spell once than I'm pretty well shot."

"I see" Sajin sighed as he sheathed his sword "congratulations, you've won."

"Thank you" Alexander replied as his Bankai vanished and he sheathed his swords.

"Tell me do you truly intend to save Kaname Tousen?" Sajin asked.

"I intend to do all I can, after all, he's our friend" Alexander answered.

"I look forward to helping you to that end" Sajin replied with a faint smile.

"Thank…" Alexander began but was cut off when a familiar shinigami tackled him to the ground with a bear hug "hi Elaina, did we put on a good show?" he chuckled.

"Of course, I mean who wouldn't enjoy watching that?!" Elaina answered with a wide smile "I mean you split his Bankai in two for crying out loud!!!" she helped him up "I'll have to do something special for when **I** take the exam."

"Captain Dark-Heart, Captain Komamura, I need to treat you both" Retsu said calmly as she appeared on scene and both Captains followed her instructions not wanting to anger her.

*Five minutes later*

"There, that should do it" Retsu stated happily as both Captains stood back up, their wounds completely healed, and Alexander had received a new Kimono top to replace the one that had been destroyed.

The onlookers had all gathered around the two, the officers from Squad Ten were all ecstatic that their Third Seat was now a Captain, the officers from Squad Seven were happy to see that their beloved Captain was alright, while the officers from Squads Three and Nine were waiting nervously.

"Congratulations Ca…" Youmei began but was cut off by Alexander's hand.

"You can still call me Alex, Third Seat Rammyaku" Alexander cut her off "and don't try to kid yourself, Captain Hitsugaya is going to bump you and Elaina up a rank."

"Congratulations Alex" Youmei replied with a smile.

"Congratulations Captain Dark-Heart" Shuuhei said nervously as he and Izuru approached.

"That was…impressive" Izuru stated in anticipation.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Hisagi, Lieutenant Kira" Alexander replied.

"Make way" Yamamoto's loud voice echoed causing the shinigami from Squads Ten and Nine to jump to one side while the members of Squads Three and Seven leapt to the other clearing a path for Yamamoto and Saskibe "Alexander Dark-Heart, you have successfully passed all three stages of the Captain's Exam and are hereby promoted" Saskibe walked towards Alexander holding a sleeveless haori "the official ceremony and introduction to the other Captains will be held in a week, along with your report over the results of your research."

"I understand" Alexander replied as he took the haori from Saskibe, Yamamoto nodded before he and Saskibe disappeared with a flash step.

"Are you going to put it on or what?" Elaina asked sarcastically.

Alexander smirked lightly at his daughter's comment as he unfolded the haori with a flick of his wrists before shooting both arms through the openings under the shoulders, moments later the bottom flaps came to a rest behind his legs and the kanji for five rested on his back. Everyone, especially Retsu and Elaina had a smirk spread across their face.

*Orihime's apartment*

"Wow that was cool" Orihime stated happily as she finished her ice-cream "that friend of yours is really something else."

"Yeah, he is" Toushirou stated with a faint smile _"I just hope Momo won't react too badly to having a new Captain…"_

"_So Alex is the new Captain of Squad Five…_" Rangiku thought to herself as she smiled widely _"…I think I better talk to him about his Lieutenant."_

**Author's Notes: It's a miracle ladies and gentlemen I got this up before December and I'm very happy about it. Anyway tomorrow is my 20****th**** birthday so please give me the best review you can (I'm sure you know what aspect of this chapter I particularly want to hear your thoughts on).** **Also if you have time please visit my profile and vote on my next project. In any case I'll try to update ASAP. **


	21. Lilly of the Valley

**Author's Notes: I'm finally free from homework *dances like a drunken idiot* in any case I hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long, the good news is that this chapter is a long one so I hope it was worth the wait. In any case I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays.**

***Plays a broken record* I don't ******* own Bleach or Devil May Cry**

**Please enjoy and don't forget to review.**

**Ch. 21 Lily of the Valley**

It was a quite morning within the fifth squad's section of the Seireitei, not because there was nothing going on, but because the air was thick with a sense of nervousness as the dozen or so seated officers stood together in their squad's barracks.

"What do you think will happen, now that we have a new Captain?" a female officer asked her colleagues "I heard he was roughed up pretty badly when Captain Aizen left…"

"I'm just worried that, he and the other squads are going to drive us into the ground because of Captain Aizen's betrayal" a man standing nearby stated.

"Surely you don't truly believe that Captain Aizen be…" another officer began but was cut off when the door opened revealing a familiar figure "Lieutenant Hinamori…"

"Good morning everyone" Momo said pleasantly as she entered, her physical condition hadn't improved much; she was still incredibly pale, her body still seemed unhealthily thin, and she still had incredibly dark bags under her eyes.

"I take it you heard about…" one officer stated calmly.

"Yes, I have" Momo replied calmly "that's why I'm here, just like all of you…after all it would be rude not to greet the new Captain" she smiled weakly _"how could they do this, to us?!"_

Momo and the others immediately fell silent as the back door to the room with the Kanji for Five printed across it suddenly opened revealing their new Captain in his sleeveless haori with a small stack of papers in his left hand.

"My everyone's here early" Alexander stated in pleasant surprise as he walked through "that's good, I'm glad I'm working with professionals" he spied Momo out of the corner of his eye "Lieutenant Hinamori, glad to see you're out of bed, are you alright?"

"…Yes…thank you" Momo replied.

"Glad to here it" Alexander added before turning his attention to the entire room "first things first; as you all know, yesterday I was promoted to be the new Captain of Squad Five, for those of you who don't know me already my name is Alexander Dark-Heart…" he began to walk down the center of the gathered officers "…since I'm the new Captain I'd like to make a few things clear before I hand out my first orders; first of all I don't care that Aizen was your last Captain as far as I'm concerned he betrayed you all just as much as he betrayed everyone else, Secondly for the moment at least I have no intention of promoting or demoting anyone, third last night I reviewed all your records and have assigned each of you a mission, and lastly I've made some minor revisions to the Squad Five code of conduct and I ask that you all familiarize yourself with the changes as soon as possible. Any questions?"

"With all due respect sir, don't you think you're rushing things?" one female officer asked nervously "I mean you were just promoted yesterday and a lot of people in our squad are still nervous since we don't know you too well yet…"

"I understand your concern Miss…" Alexander began "…sorry I don't have your name down yet. Anyway, the reason I'm doing this is because this Squad in particular was hit pretty hard by the Aizen incident, to make matters worse Lieutenant Hinamori there found herself in a coma for about six months so this squad has fallen behind and I noticed that a lot of the buildings have fallen into disrepair. So we really have no choice but to hit the ground running as fast as we can or we risk the situation turning even worse, understand?" everyone in the room nodded "good…" he held up the papers "…when I call your name come get your orders, after that take your assigned teams fulfill your missions as quickly as you can, and whatever you do…" he took a very serious expression "…don't you dare die."

"Sir" the officers replied.

*A couple minutes later*

"_Okay hopefully, this will help bring in some funds to fix up our section of the city"_ Alexander thought as he handed out the last of the missions and turning to his Lieutenant who was looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

"Sir what about me?" Momo asked.

"I think it's best that you take another day or two off" Alexander stated "you don't look so hot."

"But I'm fine" Momo replied.

"I'm not a fool Momo" Alexander said calmly silencing her as he walked up to her "I don't need Retsu's medical expertise to see that you're in no shape to be working" he sighed "right now the best thing you can do for the squad is to go home, get a good meal in your stomach, and get some sleep to get rid of those bags under your eyes."

Momo was silent for several moments before saying "very well then, sir."

Alexander watched as she headed for the exit, he caught her shooting him an incredibly dark look from the corner of her eye _"it would seem that Rangiku was right…"_

_Flashback_

The bulk of Squad Ten was gathered in one of their favorite pubs accompanied by the Captains of Squads Four, Eight, and Five. The mood couldn't have been any happier as seated officers and subordinates alike drank to their Third Seat's success in the recent exam.

"It's such a shame that the boy genius couldn't be here" Shunsui sighed as he took a sip of sake.

"Well if you think about it, he was probably the only Captain who could handle this mission" Elaina stated lightly as she took her own seat.

"What do you mean by that?" Shunsui asked "at the time there were still nine other Captains to choose from."

"The old man couldn't do it because he has to manage things from here in the Soul Society, Captain Soi Fon would likely have been too focused on trying to get into Yoruichi's pants to manage the mission" Elaina began earning a chuckle from Shunsui "Captain Unohana's busy trying to prepare all the healers for the upcoming war, Captain Kuchki would likely have gotten into a fight with that Ichigo kid considering how friendly he seems to be towards his sister, Captain Komamura could work but his appearance would most likely have triggered a panic, Captains Zaraki and Kurotsuchi just flat out wouldn't be a good idea, and Captain Ukitake's health has a nasty habit of going south at a bad time."

"I see, you make a good point" Shunsui replied "what about me though?"

"You're a drunken skirt chaser, remember?" Elaina answered as if it was the most obvious thing on Earth.

"Oh yeah" Shunsui chuckled happily with Elaina, moments later a loud thud filled the bar leaving the Captain of Squad Eight lying face down in a small crater with his Lieutenant standing over him with a large book as thick as her arm, Elaina simply sipped some more tea calmly as if nothing had just happened.

"That's nothing to be proud of Captain!!!" Nanao spat at him angrily.

"Good grief, the two of you haven't changed a bit since the day I joined the Thirteen Squads" Alexander stated in clear amusement as he walked up to his first Captain and Lieutenant "It warms my heart to see that you're both alright."

"It's nice to hear that you kept us in mind Captain Dark-Heart" Nanao replied as she tried to hide a blush "I'm sorry about that, you know how he is sometimes."

"I think you mean all the time" Alexander chuckled leaving Nanao silent.

"Still though, you've come far since the day you joined my squad" Shunsui said pleasantly as he tipped his hat "you've grown quite powerful, I'm certain Esther would approve."

"Thank you Captain Kyouraku" Alexander replied.

"It's Shunsui" Shunsui added cheerfully "Alright Alex?"

"Fair enough" the new Captain chuckled before he heard a ring coming from his robe "excuse me please Shunsui" he quickly left the pub where it was more quite "this is Dark-Heart."

"Hey it's me" Rangiku said from the other end "I'm sorry but can I talk to you please?"

"Certainly Rangiku, is something wrong with Toushirou?" Alexander asked.

"Sort of" Rangiku replied "where do I begin?"

"Just take a deep breath and collect your thoughts" Alexander stated calmly.

*Minutes later*

"So let me get this straight" Alexander began "you're telling me that my Lieutenant asked Toushirou to save Aizen?"

"That's right" Rangiku answered "it really upset my Captain."

"I can understand why" Alexander replied "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks Alex…and congratulations" Rangiku said gratefully as the two hung up.

"Damn it" Alexander swore softly.

"You've only been a Captain for six hours and you're already having problems with your Lieutenant?" Retsu stated in surprise as she emerged from the shadows "and I thought I had problems when I first became a Captain."

"It would seem that Aizen bastard did a good job of messing up her head before leaving us" Alexander sighed "I don't know if I'll be able to help her if it's true, either way I hate having to play God with people's heads…it's too much like my father would've done or what Aizen most likely still does."

"I know one thing for certain; out of the three of you I'd rather have you playing God with my head than the other two any day" Retsu replied cheerfully as she wrapped her arms around his neck before adding "Captain Dark-Heart."

"Thanks" Alexander replied before kissing her on the lips.

_End Flashback_

"_I've got my work cut out for me" _Alexander thought before heading towards the office in an attempt to catch up on the months of unfiled papers awaiting him _"this is going to take a while…"_

*The next day*

"Alright, good work on the missions yesterday everyone" Alexander stated with a smile as he sipped from a cup of coffee "if we can keep this up for another week or two we should be able to fix up our part of the city."

"Do you really think so sir?"a man with dark hair who Alexander recognized as his third seat asked.

"Yeah, I had Retsu and Shunsui teach me a couple of tricks when it comes to grabbing a little extra funding" Alexander answered as he took another sip of coffee "of course that's providing nothing too serious happens…" a loud explosion went off from a couple blocks away causing the new Captain to sigh as his subordinates took a couple steps back in surprise "…damn it, I was afraid this might happen" he crushed the cup in his hand before heading towards the sound leaving his men in slight confusion "leave this to me."

"Where is he?!" a male shinigami asked as he and over a dozen others stood with their blades draw "where is that puppet they assigned to our squad?!"

"Care to explain what you're doing?" Alexander inquired calmly as he appeared on the scene startling the rioting soldiers "in case you've forgotten, the training grounds are over there" he pointed into the distance "put your weapons down, now!"

"Shut up, you're not our Captain" the man replied as his sword hand began to shake violently "our Captain is Sousuke Aizen, the hero of justice…"

"_As I feared, so it's not just Miss Hinamori that Aizen managed to sick his lies into"_ Alexander thought solemnly.

"This all has to be some kind of conspiracy to get rid of Captain Aizen" the another shinigami added "there's no way someone like you could be qualified to be a Captain…I bet you can't even use…"

"Bankai: Hakumeitenshi Kokuhyou and Nehan" Alexander chanted causing his Bankai to emerge, while his haori remained on his back "you were saying?" the shinigami shook nervously as they took their stances "don't make me do this."

"Get him!!!" Their leader ordered as they leapt towards the new Captain.

"_I'm going to end this quickly"_ Alexander thought as he stuck his sword in the ground _"Kokuhyou, Nehan, time for number one."_

"_Damn, that one's no fun"_ Kokuhyou whined.

"_Stay focused Kokuhyou" _Nehan begged before saying _"were ready."_

Several kidou spells shot towards Alexander before he disappeared leaving his sword behind "I call upon the darkness of the Saint's past and the light of the Sinner's future…" the shinigami turned to see Alexander standing calmly on the opposite side of them, with an orb of black energy in his right hand and an orb of white energy in his left "my right arm is the Lust that stains the hearts of the pure and my left arm is the pure Love that cleanses the souls of the stained…" he slammed them together causing them to merge and turn bright silver before chanting "…Hakumeikiseki(Twilight Miracle)" suddenly the air was filled with the gentle sound of a harp playing a calming tune and a strange yet beautiful voice rang throughout the area.

"What the hell is this?" one shinigami asked as he felt his grip loosening, the orbs Alexander had been holding had disappeared and he was approaching he tried to swing his Zanpakutou but he found that he couldn't ever raise his blade, he looked around to see that the others seemed to be having the same problem "what did you do to us?"

"That's what happens whenever someone who's spiritual is significantly weaker than me hears the song of that spell" Alexander began "my Bankai's first spell Hakumeikiseki sooths any violent impulses of all who hear it, you'll find that you won't be able to take any violent action for at least two hours…" he was silent for several seconds before he disappeared with a shunpo, he appeared next to his Bankai's sword before he changed back and shielded his swords, he immediately pointed both fingers towards the rioting shinigami before chanting "…Bakudou 63: Sajousabaku" all the rioters found themselves bound together by a chain of spirit energy.

"Damn it" a few of the rioters swore as Alexander walked up to them holding a paper fan in his left hand, before they knew it they all had massive bumps on their heads before he put the fan away which had a small trail of smoke hissing from the tip.

"Wake up" Alexander commanded calmly as they winced in pain before looking up at him in a mixture of anger and confusion "now listen to me **very** closely…" he kneeled in front of the nearest rioter "…your last Captain Sousuke Aizen **betrayed** you; he deceived all of us, he tried to kill Rukia Kuchki in order to steal the Hogyoku, he nearly killed Captains Hitsugaya and Komamura, and worst of all…he stabbed Ms. Hinamori through the chest and left her for dead…" the rebels grew silent as they looked towards the ground "…I understand the truth can be hard to swallow, but you have to face the facts, otherwise you won't have any future to look forward to."

*Five minutes later*

"My it's only your second day as a Captain and you're already brining me over a dozen wounded soldiers" Retsu stated calmly as she and Alexander stood in front of several beds "tell me, how exactly did this happen?"

"It's a mystery" Alexander replied lightly.

"Well in that case I'd like you to investigate" Retsu added as she put a hand on his shoulder and opened her eyes giving him a cold look "please don't take too long."

"Sure thing" Alexander said lightly apparently unaffected by her demeanor as she smiled and walked out.

"_What the hell was that?!"_ one of the rioters thought in sheer shock and terror _"I felt as if she was threatening to rip all our organs from our bodies with her bare hands or something!!!" _

"I love that woman" Alexander stated simply as he turned to his disloyal subordinates and took a serious expression "just so you understand, if you **ever** try that again I will have you all court marshaled, am I clear?"

One of the rioters gulped before saying "yes sir."

"Good" Alexander replied as he headed for the exit himself, his subordinates failed to notice a wink he gave to the Captain of Squad Four.

"_Compared to him and Captain Unohana…a Court Marshal doesn't sound too bad…"_ one of them thought weakly before lying down to sleep.

"That was very manipulative of you" Retsu stated calmly as she and Alexander walked down the hall.

"You seemed eager to play along" Alexander remarked.

"Of course, it's fun to play head games sometimes" Retsu replied as if it were the most natural thing in the known world "tell me did you really use your Bankai?"

"I restrained it back to about five percent and I only used Hakumeikiseki" Alexander answered "it had the benefit of proving that I have the release and stopping them without hurting them, that combined with the little round of head games we just played with them should make them think twice before rioting again, I appreciate the help."

"It's no trouble at all" Retsu assured him "even for a new Captain, you're finding yourself in a tricky situation."

"Remind me to thank Aizen for that this Winter" Alexander requested sarcastically before a Hell Butterfly appeared in front of him "why do I get the feeling I'm going to need another cup of coffee?"

*Back in the Fifth Division*

"Man those guys got taken down fast" a male shinigami sighed as he and a dozen others sat in a tea house.

"They obviously weren't thinking" a female squad member replied as she took a sip of tea "I mean I don't like the idea of having this guy as our Captain either, but it was obvious they wouldn't accomplish anything against someone who passed the Captain's exam."

"You're right" a calm voice stated causing them all to turn towards the doorway.

"Lieutenant Hinamori" a few of them gasped as she entered.

"It's okay" Momo assured them "I'm not prepared to accept this man as our Captain either…but what can we do?"

As if to answer her question a Hell Butterfly flew into the Tea House earning the attention of the occupants "RED ALERT…" a voice echoed from the small creature "…MENOS GRANDE SPOTTED IN THE DONGAI, ALL MEMBERS OF SQUAD FIVE ARE TO CLEAR THE DONGAI IMMEDIATELY…I REPEAT MENOS GRANDE SPOTTED IN THE DONGAI, ALL MEMBERS OF SQUAD FIVE ARE TO CLEAR THE DONGAI IMMEDIATELY…" the Butterfly then landed on Momo's shoulder and the voice switched to their Captain's.

"Attention all squad members, this is Captain Dark-Heart" his voice rang through the butterfly "I'm leaving squad four right now, meet me in front of the Senkaimon, and do NOT go in without me, I repeat do NOT go in without me!!!"

"Squad Four…he's quite far away" one soldier noted followed by a few seconds of awkward silence.

"This is our chance to prove that we don't need a new Captain" Momo stated calmly as she turned towards her comrades "let's go."

"Ma'am" they replied in unison as they rushed out the door right behind their lieutenant.

Momo pulled out her communicator as she and her troops approached the gate "this is Lieutenant Hinamori of Squad Five, please open the gate immediately."

"Ma'am, didn't Captain Dark-Heart…" the voice on the other end began but was cut off.

"I said open the gate!!!" Momo said angrily, the person on the other end didn't respond but the gate quickly opened and the Thirteen shinigami quickly rushed in accompanied by a small swarm of Hell Butterflies.

*Five minutes later*

"Lieutenant Hinamori you should be intercepting the first of the Menos in about thirty seconds, good luck" an operator from the Department of Research and Development stated through the communicator.

"Thank you very much" Momo replied as she put her communicator away "get ready everyone."

"Yes, Ma'am" they echoed as they leapt over a current to see roughly a dozen Gillian.

"Stay in formation and take them down one at a time" Momo commanded as they broke off into three groups of three and one group of four.

One by one the Menos fell until all thirteen shinigami were closing in on the last one.

"_With this, we prove that we don't need Dark-Heart"_ Momo thought happily as she prepared to slash the bumbling giant.

"Fire" a cruel voice cackled causing Momo and several of her followers' eyes to open widely in shock as several cero blasts came out of nowhere and obliterated the Gillian like it was nothing "excellent" the voice hissed as it emerged from the shadows followed by about three dozen additional Gillian; the voice belonged to a hollow about three times the size of human, with a bear like body, and an incredibly large jaw perturbing from his mask.

When the smoke cleared it revealed Momo to be standing only slightly ruffled physically due to a barrier she had conjured up at the last moment; her followers however; were not so lucky, four of them had literally been blown to bits in the blast, three were lying dead, three were bleeding heavily from a missing arm or leg, and the last two were bleeding heavily from numerous cuts across their bodies.

"_And Adjuchas?!"_ Momo thought in shock _"and it used its own Gillian as bait?!"_

"So you're the only one who made it out in one piece huh?" the Adjuchas asked rhetorically as Momo's barrier shattered and she took her stance "so cute…I bet you'll be even cuter in my stomach!!!" the Adjuchas rushed towards Momo at an incredible speed given his size.

"Snap Tobiume" Momo chanted causing her Zanpakutou to transform before she swung it sending a fireball towards the Adjuchas, the beast leapt before it could reach him and his jaw glowed dark red before a cero fired towards the Fifth Squad's Lieutenant.

Momo leapt away in time to avoid the blast; however her subordinates who were still alive couldn't "too bad about your friends girly" the Adjuchas chuckled.

Momo's face contorted in rage as she screamed and sent another fire ball racing towards the Bear like hollow, before she knew it the hollow had dodged her attack and pinned her to the ground.

"Looks like I win" the Adjuchas declared in delight as he looked into Momo's angry eyes "I love that look in your eyes" it added as it opened its jaw and began to move towards her neck "I bet you'll taste great…" suddenly the Adjuchas leapt away just in time to avoid being sliced in two by a large weapon being wielded by what appeared to be an angel wearing black robes and a white haori leaving Momo in absolute shock.

"Dark-Heart" Momo stated in disbelief as she stood up, the Captain only looked in her eyes darkly causing to freeze on the spot _"what is this fear I'm feeling?!"_

"I'll deal with you later" Alexander stated coldly "for now head back until you encounter the rest of the squad, I'm going to destroy these vermin."

"That haori…" the Adjuchas began as Momo for the first time in months did as she was told "…so you're a Captain."

"That's right" Alexander replied darkly.

"Excellent" the Adjuchas continued "I bet you'll make an even better meal than the girl!!!" the Gillian began to enclose on the new Captain "let's take him Gillian."

"I call upon the power of the despair revealed by the light…" Alexander began chanting before disappearing, the Adjuchas could only look in shock as the Captain appeared right in front of him and he was powerless to get away "…and the hope born from the Darkness…" he lunged his blade through the Menos' chest "…my Right Arm is the Gluttony that consumes the virtuous…" Alexander flapped his wings moving not only himself but the hollow he had just stabbed in the middle of all the Gillian whose mouths were beginning to glow read "…and my Left Arm is the Moderation which salvages the condemned; Hakumeigenshuku (Twilight Gravity)" he pulled out his blade and immediately flew away at full speed as the Adjuchas was consumed in a black and white sphere about twice his size, the Gillian attempted to redirect their aim towards the fleeing Captain only to lose their footing as the sphere pulled them all in, obliterating them completely as the Captain landed on the ground and sheathed his swords.

*Ten minutes later*

Alexander, Momo, and fifteen other soldiers emerged from the Senkaimon to a crowd of Squad five member who all appeared as if they had been extremely worried but were now relieved to see their Captain and Lieutenant emerge from the Dongai.

"Thank God you're all okay Captain Dark-Heart" one soldier stated as she ran up to Alexander who motioned her to stop "what happened sir?"

"Excuse us" a familiar voice requested.

"Make way" a harsher one demanded as they made their way to the front of the crowd to reveal the Lieutenants of Squads Three and Nine.

"May I ask what you're doing here, Lieutenant Kira, Lieutenant Hisagi?" Alexander asked somewhat curious about their sudden appearance.

"Please forgive us sir" Izuru begged "we heard that Momo went in ahead of the rest of you, I…we were worried about her…"

"I understand" Alexander replied _"someone obviously has a crush on my Lieutenant."_

"We're happy to see she's alright" Shuuhei added.

"Yes **she** is" Alexander stated darkly earning him everyone's attention as they pondered his emphasis, moments later several people including Izuru and Shuuhei gasped in realization "Momo, how many people followed you into the Senkaimon?"

Momo was silent for several moments before she calmly answered "twelve."

"Damn it" Alexander swore softly "why did you do it, when I specifically ordered you not to go in without me?!" Momo was silent "answer me!"

Momo's face contorted with rage before she cried "ENOUGH" she drew her Zanpakutou and pointed it towards Alexander "I refuse to acknowledge you as the Captain of Squad Five, leave now or I'll…"

"Momo" Alexander replied coldly as he turned towards her and looked her dead in the eyes "I'm not going anywhere, like it or not I'm the Captain of Squad Five and as such it is my responsibility to look out for the welfare of this Squad" he grasped the handles of his Zanpakutou "if you don't want me to hurt you put down your sword."

Without a moment's hesitation, Momo charged toward Alexander at full speed, Alexander began to draw his blades but stopped immediately as the sound of clanging metal filled the air; the source was Momo's Zanpakutou crossing blades with Izuru and Shuuhei.

"Please sir, don't" Izuru begged "I'm begging you, leave this to us."

"Momo is our friend" Shuuhei said through gritted teeth "please let us handle this."

Alexander sighed before replying "fine, but don't either of you even think about dying" Izuru and Shuuhei nodded as he turned to his soldiers "clear out" they nodded in fear before disappearing with a shunpo as three Lieutenant class spiritual pressures began to fill the air with their power.

"Izuru, Shuuhei, step aside" Momo demanded seeing Shuuhei looking at her calmly and Izuru looking at her in desperation.

"Leave this to me Izuru" Shuuhei commanded as he put his full strength into a swing sending Momo back several yards "I can tell the thought of fighting her kills you, besides she knows about your Zanpakutou already."

"Thank you Shuuhei" Izuru replied before leaping back to where Alexander was standing watching for the fight that was about to ensue.

"Why are you getting in my way Shuuhei?!" Momo demanded as she swung her sword vertically only to lock blades with Shuuhei.

"Simple, I can't allow anyone who wishes to disturb the peace do as they please" Shuuhei replied "it's my duty as a Lieutenant of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads" he forced Momo back with a swing before attempting to counter attack with a horizontal swing only for her to dodge it by leaping back "and it's **your **duty to follow your Captain, I was at the exam there's no question that he's qualified."

"I don't care" Momo stated before firing a blast from her free hand and chanting "Snap Tobiume."

"_Releasing her Zanpakutou in a place like this…"_ Shuuhei thought as dodged several energy blasts from Momo _"…she's dead serious about this rebellion of hers…" _suddenly one last energy ball shot over his head missing him entirely before stopping in mid air _"…what the hell?!"_ he asked himself in shock before he noticed that the other dozen or so blasts were now floating just off the ground and surrounding him, by focusing his eyes Shuuhei saw what appeared to be threads of spirit energy attached to each attack and they appeared to stretch all the way to the fingers on Momo's left hand "very clever" he stated.

"I'm not a fool Shuuhei, I know that you're much stronger than I am, and that my attacks aren't fast enough to be effective against you" Momo said coldly as she pulled the strings with her left hand drawing the orbs even closer to Shuuhei "that's why I laid this trap for you, no matter how fast you are, there's no way you can escape this; this is your last chance to surrender."

"I told you I can't do that" Shuuhei told her flatly.

"Then die" Momo replied coldly as she pulled the strings violently with her left arm causing the orbs to completely engulf Shuuhei in a pink ball of fire, she turned to Izuru and Alexander _"you're next…"_

"Reap…" a familiar voice echoed from Momo's trap causing her to turn towards it in surprise "…Kazeshini" the fireball exploded before fading away as Shuuhei's spiritual pressure erupted revealing him to be unharmed holding a pair of double bladed scythes with a chain attaching them to one another.

"So that's your Zanpakutou?" Momo asked "I don't believe you ever told me about it."

"That's because I don't like it" Shuuhei replied earning him a confused glance from Momo "I mean look at it…" he held one scythe by the finger slot at the bottom up to his eye "…it looks like it's meant to reap life itself."

Momo's eyes opened in shock as she sidestepped just in time to avoid losing half her head as one of the scythes rushed past her right cheek filling the air with a disturbing metallic sound. Shuuhei immediately began to charge towards her, in response Momo swung Tobiume sending a large fireball towards Shuuhei who leapt backwards with all the might his legs could muster.

"_Why's he leaping back?"_ Momo asked herself as her attack caught up with him and he dispersed it with a single swing of the scythe in his right hand, suddenly Momo noticed that the chain leading to his other scythe was retracting causing Momo to turn in a panic to see the scythe that Shuuhei had thrown earlier rushing towards her, she spun around just in time to block it with Tobiume before finishing her spin sending it back to its owner.

"You can't predict its movements, can you?" Shuuhei asked as he began to spin both blades and Momo locked gazes with him "are you afraid?"

"Of course not" Momo declared as she took her stance.

"Really?" Shuuhei replied "I am…"

"You're afraid of your own power?!" Momo asked in surprise and Shuuhei nodded leaving her silent.

"Those who do not fear the sword they wield have no right to wield it at all" Shuuhei said solemnly as his mentor's image flashed through his mind "that is what **he **taught me" he immediately threw the scythe in his right hand towards Momo who leapt into the air to dodge it.

"Bakudou 62…" Momo began to chant as she raised her left hand as if she were raising a spear "…Hyapporankan" she threw a spear of energy towards Kazeshini's chain before it broke apart into dozens of duplicates spears, most of them only hit the ground but one landed right in the eye of one of the links and pinned the weapon to the ground.

"Damn it" Shuuhei swore softly as Momo landed and began to run towards him _"that was smart of her" _he raised the scythe in his left hand preparing to intercept Momo.

"Bakudou 63: Sajousabaku" Momo chanted tying Shuuhei's left arm to his torso, thus locking both his scythes _"it's over…" _Momo thought as positioned Tobiume just under the left side of her waist, she was about to swing her weapon when she heard a loud clang causing her eyes to open in shock as she turned to see that Izuru had hooked his Wabisuke around one of the rods sticking out from Tobiume, without saying a word he flicked his wrist removing Wabisuke from Tobiume before tapping it a second time _"Izuru?!"_ she thought in shock as he tapped her sword two more times _"how could you?!"_

"And that's strikes five and six" Izuru stated solemnly after tapping her sword two more times before removing it, almost immediately Tobiume crashed into the ground with a loud thud, Momo's free hand began to inch towards the handle before Izuru struck it once more for good measure causing Momo to fall onto her knees due to the weight "that's not a weight you can fight with Momo."

Momo looked at Izuru blankly as he held his blade up to her neck and Shuuhei broke free of her spells "Why Izuru?" she asked in disbelief as she lost her grip over her heavy Zanpakutou.

"Isn't it obvious?" Shuuhei asked "it was to stop you from starting a foolish battle, I'm afraid there will be plenty of those in the months ahead."

"But you want your Captain back too, don't you?!" Momo replied.

"Of course I do!!!" Shuuhei hissed shocking Momo "but at the same time I have to face the fact that Captain Tousen betrayed us and I may have to kill him myself; I don't want to…but we can't always get what we want…"

"Come on Momo, let's go" Izuru said calmly as he lowered Wabisuke before sealing it and returning it to its sheath.

"You shouldn't have done that Izuru" Momo stated coldly.

Izuru and Shuuhei could only gasp in shock as countless orange threads appeared around the three of them; their eyes quickly darted towards Momo who seemed to have the source of all of them extending from the Lieutenant's badge on her left arm.

"While you were busy with that little lecture I combined Shakkahou with a kidou net and Fushibi" Momo explained coldly shocking both of her fellow lieutenants.

"Momo…if you detonate that combination at this range you'll kill **all** of us" Izuru warned as he fought back a panic attack and the threads tied themselves around him and Shuuhei "don't do it…"

"Three…two…one" Momo counted down calmly before Alexander appeared right in front of her with a black katana raised in his right hand _"when did he?!"_ she thought as he swung the sword vertically severing the kidou thread and her Lieutenant's badge from her left arm in an instant, moments later her entire net disappeared.

"Let this be a lesson to all three of you" Alexander began calmly as he sheathed Kokuhyou "no matter what spells you use in conjunction with it, a kidou net will disappear in an instant if you sever the source thread…" Izuru and Shuuhei let out a heavy sigh of relief while Momo was simply in a state of shock "…you're not the only one in this squad who knows a thing or two about kidou; more importantly judging by your expression I doubt you have any more tricks up your sleeve."

Without replying or even picking up her sword and badge Momo ran away as fast as she could.

"Momo wait!!!" Izuru called out as she disappeared with a shunpo, he gritted his teeth as he prepared to give chase only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"You've both done enough, leave the rest to me" Alexander ordered as he followed with his own shunpo.

Momo appeared on a large tree branch just outside the Fifth Squad's main office, she leaned against the trunk as she began to breathe heavily.

"Bakudou 63: Sajousabaku" she heard a familiar voice chant calmly before she found herself knocked on her but and tied to the trunk by a chain made of pure energy, moments later Alexander appeared in front of her "comfy?"

"Let me go!!!" Momo demanded.

"Sorry but unfortunately for you, **I'm **the Captain and we need to talk" Alexander replied before looking at her calmly "let's get this over with, first off I want you tell me something, did you really ask Captain Hitsugaya to save Aizen?"

"Did Toushirou tell you that?!" Momo asked in disbelief.

"No Rangiku said she overheard you and Captain Hitsugaya" Alexander answered "so did you really ask him?" Momo looked to her right in defiance "words can not describe just how heartless that was of you, you know that."

"Just go away already" Momo said through gritted teeth.

"Wake up Momo" Alexander sighed ignoring her protest "you have to let it go."

"Shut up!!!" Momo replied angrily "What would you know about it?!" she was now looking him dead in the eyes with tears of rage in her eyes "maybe if I tried to force you to believe that the person you admired most was a monster you'd understand!!!"

To Momo's surprise Alexander smiled weakly before looking down before chuckling "that's an interesting theory you've got there, unfortunately you're a little late to put it to the test" he raised his head as he sighed before taking a much more solemn tome "that was the story of my life about one hundred and ten years ago…" Momo's eyes opened in shock "…I've been around a lot longer than you have Momo and trust me I've seen my share of trouble…"

"So what's your story?" Momo asked curiously.

"I was born and raised just outside of Washington D.C. towards the end of the 19th century; it was a time of great social and political instability due to racial tensions which would make that country's current racial confrontations look like a pair of kids fighting in the school yard" Alexander explained "the leader of my clan…my father Maximilian Dark-Heart had strong support within our clan because he claimed to have a plan to make our ideals a reality, as a result many Warlocks including myself followed his orders to steal money, enslave hollows, conduct horrifying research, and to kill **anyone** who saw us."

"What kind of ideal did you people feel was worth killing innocent people over?!" Momo gasped.

"The elimination of war from the world" Alexander answered leaving Momo stunned "foolish I know but I was just a teenage boy at the time, about as old as you look, and besides the man asking me to do those things was my own father…and despite the fact that I had someone who was trying to open my eyes to the truth…" he looked down at Kokuhyou "…by the time I finally opened my eyes to reality and realized what my father was planning…it was too late for me."

"What was he planning?" Momo inquired.

"He was planning to wipe Washington D.C. off the map in order to take over the country and bring all the racial and religious hate groups to the surface so we could wipe them out" Alexander began "of course this alone would have left thousands if not millions of people dead; worst part of all is that he wasn't just going to target Washington. He also had his eyes on London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, and just about every other Capital in the world; to this day I don't know if he truly wanted to eliminate war or if he just sought World Domination, either way what he was doing was wrong so I confronted him."

"What happened then?" Momo gulped.

"When I confronted him I hesitated because I didn't want to fight him, he was furious and he attacked me" Alexander replied "and he killed my mother when she shielded me from him…" Momo gasped in shock "…after that I landed a fatal blow across his chest only for him to kill me with a kamikaze attack."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Momo asked as the chain disappeared.

"Because unlike me it's not too late for you, you're still not a murderer" Alexander answered as he pulled out a familiar katana.

"_Tobiume?"_ Momo thought blankly as the Captain held out her sword.

"With this sword Tobiume, you were given a gift of awesome power" Alexander explained as he placed it in front of her "that power however was never meant to be turned on your comrades and it wasn't meant to be used to fight for illusions, I think deep down you must realize what its true purpose is."

"_How could I have left my Zanpakutou behind?!"_ Momo wondered.

"Though not as flashy as your sword you also have another mark that separates you from everyone else" Alexander continued as he pulled out her Lieutenant's badge from his kimono causing Momo to look at her left arm in absolute shock "but for now you won't be getting this back…" his expression became somewhat harsher "…I'm placing you under a mandatory leave of absence for your earlier insubordination; you should use this time to reflect on those twelve shinigami who followed you into the Dongai…as the Lieutenant of Squad Five you should have stopped them, but you didn't and as a result they died leaving behind their friends, families, and lovers…think about it" he disappeared with a shunpo leaving Momo alone to contemplate through her own tears.

*The next day*

Youmei and Elaina were walking towards the main office of the fifth squad holding a couple of bags. They knocked on the door before it opened revealing at least ten different people besides the new Captain working through a virtual sea of papers.

"What the hell is this?" Elaina asked in sheer amazement at the sight.

"I'm afraid this is the result of six months worth of unfinished paperwork" Alexander informed his daughter as he made his way to the front "thankfully these people were kind enough to offer me their assistance; so how's acting Captain duty treating you?"

"It's going well" Youmei answered "we were on lunch break, care to join us?"

"Rukia Kuchki has returned and she brought one of those friends of that Ichigo kid with her for training" Elaina added "sound interesting?"

"Yes, I would say so" Alexander replied before turning to his subordinates "okay everyone lunch break, I don't want you all to work yourselves to death" they all nodded as they headed out in their own little groups.

*Within Squad 13's training grounds*

"_It's nice to see that Rukia's made some friends"_ Jyuushiro thought pleasantly as he sipped some tea just before three familiar shinigami appeared behind him "come to watch?"

"And eat lunch" Elaina replied as she took a seat next to Jyuushiro and opened her box "say isn't that the girl you tried to capture during the whole Ryouka incident, Youmei?"

"Yes, I must say I've never seen someone with such unusual powers before" Youmei stated as they watched Orihime create barrier after barrier against Rukia's Kidou attacks.

"So are you enjoying your new life as a Captain?" Jyuushiro asked pleasantly as his latest colleague took his own seat.

"I'm keeping busy" Alexander replied calmly "it would seem all the rioters have lost their nerve thanks to the head games me and Retsu played on them after the last attempt, me and my subordinates are starting to work quite well together, and the paper work is finally starting to die down; unfortunately I lost a dozen troops yesterday who apparently still hadn't managed to dig Aizen's mental claws out of their own skulls and I still have no idea if my Lieutenant is going to be alright or not."

"I see, you've found yourself in a position that is truly unique, even for a new Captain" Jyuushiro stated calmly "Aizen really pulled a fast one on all of us, I fear it will take quite a while for all the wounds he left to heal."

"With all due respect Captain Ukitake, some wounds never heal" Alexander said solemnly.

"I suppose your right" was all Jyuushiro could say in response.

"Speaking of Aizen, I've got something I was wanting to show you and Captain Kyouraku regarding his Zanpakutou" Alexander stated earning him a curious gaze from his fellow Captain "will the two of you have time tomorrow?"

"Certainly" Jyuushiro answered before turning to Elaina and Youmei "so how are things going in Squad Ten with Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto in the World of the Living?"

"It's gone well, thankfully we have a squad of very capable individuals so me and Fourth Seat Dark-Heart here have had a fairly smooth time as acting Captains" Youmei answered.

"We also put our names foreword to take the Captain's Exam once this whole Aizen mess is sorted out this Winter" Elaina added "can I trust you to be there to watch, Captain Ukitake?"

"Of course I will" Jyuushiro replied with a smile.

Alexander smiled as he thought _"it would be nice if this peace could last forever"_ they continued to watch Rukia and Orihime go at it.

A few minutes later a Hell Butterfly flew out in front of them echoing "RED ALERT, ARRANCAR DETECTED IN THE WORLD OF THE LIVING, THEY ARE ALL ESPADA CLASS, ALL SQUADS REPORT TO YOUR STATIONS."

"Damn it" Elaina swore as the four of them stood up.

"We'll talk later" Jyuushiro stated before his three guests disappeared with a shunpo _"I've got a bad feeling about this." _

*The next day with Toushirou*

"_Damn it what a mess"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as he was being led through the Dongai by Byakuya and Kenpachi with Rangiku, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rukia, and Renji behind him _"those bastards were just a decoy to lure out that Orihime girl and we fell for it!!! Now Aizen has her!!!"_ he looked at Byakuya and Kenpachi's backs darkly _"and now that damn old man is just going to leave her to rot!!!"_ the exited the Dongai to see Alexander, Shunsui, Jyuushiro, and Retsu standing by patiently.

"What's going on here?" Rangiku asked "surely you didn't need six Captains just to bring us back?!"

"I'd like to know that myself" Byakuya stated calmly.

"Don't worry we just wanted to discuss something with our young colleague" Shunsui stated lightly "care to join us Mr. Child Prodigy?"

"_You infuriate me sometimes Kyouraku"_ Toushirou thought in annoyance when he saw a serious look in Alexander's eyes "I think I will. Do you have any problems with that Captain Zaraki, Captain Kuchki?"

"Tch I could care less" Kenpachi replied.

"My only orders were to bring you all back from the world of the living" Byakuya explained "Rukia, Renji, come with me" he left the scene with his sister and Lieutenant in toe.

"The hell with you people, I'm out of here" Zaraki sighed in annoyance as he left, followed by Ikkaku and Yumichika.

"Rangiku, please take over in the office" Toushirou commanded "I hope to be back soon."

"Understood" Rangiku replied _"what in the world do they have cooked up? In any case I hope we'll be able to get Orihime back" _she left for the office with a shunpo.

"So what is it that you have to show me?" Toushirou inquired of his four fellow Captains.

"It's in my office follow me" Alexander replied as the five Captains disappeared with a shunpo.

*Squad Five Office*

"So what is it that you wanted to show us Captain Dark-Heart?" Jyuushiro asked curiously.

"I'm going to be honest with you all" Alexander stated with a very serious expression on his face "though my research gave us a way to see through Aizen's illusions…due to certain limitations, not everyone will be able to see through them" he pointed to the bag he had been carrying during the King's Seal incident lying on a nearby table "the good news is that I may have found a weakness to Aizen's shikai."

"Which is why you brought us here?" Shunsui asked clearly interested.

"Yeah, I was hoping to get your opinions on my theory before the old man calls an emergency meeting" Alexander replied as he turned to Toushirou "interested?"

"Do you really need to ask?" was Toushirou's only response.

"Very well then let me show you some footage from Aizen's little cue six months ago" Alexander began as an image appeared on a screen he had set up on the wall.

*Squad Ten Office*

"Good to see you Lieutenant Matsumoto" Elaina said as she and a number of other seated officers welcomed their Lieutenant back "I hope you and Captain Hitsugaya are alright?"

"We're as well as we can be considering our friend got kidnapped and we got dragged back here before we could try and mount a rescue operation" Rangiku stated in clear annoyance as she looked at her officers before asking "where's Youmei?"

"She said she was going out for a little earlier" Elaina replied.

*Kuchki Manor*

"Brother I don't understand" Rukia said in disbelief as Byakuya handed her and Renji a pair of brown cloaks to protect them from Hueco Mundo's desert winds.

"My only orders were to bring you back" Byakuya explained dryly "thus far I haven't received any orders for after I brought you back."

"_Well I'll be damned Captain Kuchki"_ Renji chuckled to himself.

"Thank you…Byakuya" Rukia replied.

"You better hurry" Byakuya stated "I fear that if that **fool** is left to his own devices, there won't be any salvaging the situation."

"Right away" Rukia said as she came back to reality before running off with Renji _"thank you so much…"_

"_Don't die Rukia"_ Byakuya thought to himself as his sister and Lieutenant disappeared from his sight, he turned to his side before asking "does Captain Hitsugaya wish to speak to me about something?"

"No I came here on my own" Youmei answered as she walked up beside him and smiled softly "you seem to have gotten much more mischievous since your encounter with that Ichigo boy."

"Care to elaborate?" Byakuya asked indifferently.

"You know the Head Captain isn't going to be happy when he learns that the two of them snuck off to Hueco Mundo" Youmei stated.

"I never received any orders to stop them" Byakuya explained calmly "therefore I don't care what they choose to do, if the Head Captain is to be angry at anyone it should be himself for not ordering to ensure they stay here in the Soul Society."

"I guess you're right" Youmei chuckled as she tried to fight back a blush and an awkward silence fell upon the two of them for a few moments.

"_Okay that does it, this is some serious Bull Shit you've dragged me into Princess, and I can't freaking take it!!!" _Savage shouted in Youmei's skull as she suddenly took control of Youmei's body and Byakuya looked at **her** strangely.

"_Savage what the Hell are you doing?!"_ Princess asked in disbelief.

"_Simple I'm ending this bore fest and starting something more __**interesting**__" _Youmei answered before turning towards Byakuya who showed a rare expression of concern "listen closely jack ass because I hate repeating myself…" Princess' jaw dropped in sheer shock at what her other self was saying "…my little Princess loves your stoic ass for some reason beyond my comprehension but she won't stop beating around the bush, so I've decided it's time for a little something called an **intervention**."

"_For the love of…"_ Princess thought in disbelief as she watched Savage grab Byakuya by the front of his kimono and leap forward causing him to fall backwards with her following closely.

"_And now I return this body to you"_ Youmei thought smugly.

'Princess' Youmei regained control to find that she was lying on top of Byakuya with her lips pressed against his. Byakuya himself was showing an even rarer expression than one of concern; this was the expression he could only recall showing twice since he became a Captain of the Thirteen Squads, once when Ichigo Kurosaki revealed that he had in fact achieved Bankai and the other was upon learning that Yachiru Kusajishi of Squad Eleven had somehow dug a series of tunnels under his manor and along with a large number of hidden doors without being noticed by anyone, it was an expression of **complete** and utter shock.

"Captain Kuchki…I'm…" Youmei began to say as she released him and stood up "…so sorry about that…"

"_You lying little bitch" _Savage chuckled inside Youmei's head.

"_Quite you!!!"_ Youmei ordered in her mind angrily.

"That was…different" Byakuya stated after he stood up "I must attend to my squad, excuse me."

"_That went perfectly; thanks to me you just put the hook in him"_ Savage declared happily _"congratulations Princess."_

"_Savage I swear!!!"_ Youmei thought in a mixture of rage and embarrassment.

Savage burst out laughing before replying with _"this great, you want to kill me so badly; but you can't because that would be suicide"_ she laughed hysterically at her other half who seemed on the edge of going postal _"don't worry, you can thank me later."_

*Squad Five Office*

"That's an interesting theory you've developed" Shunsui said "I'll admit that would explain Aizen's odd behavior in combat."

"How confident are you in this theory of yours?" Toushirou asked.

"I'd say the odds are fifty-fifty" Alexander answered.

"Still I must admit I'm impressed" Jyuushiro added "to come up with this theory while you were in the middle of some rather dangerous research as I understand it…"

"Please don't remind me of the research" Alexander begged as he rubbed his left shoulder "I still have nightmares about it."

Retsu placed a hand on his shoulder gaining his attention "regardless of whether or not this theory of yours is correct we have you to thank for finding a way around Kyouka Suigetsu."

"Thanks Retsu" Alexander replied.

"While we're on the subject would you mind explaining to us how your method works exactly?" Retsu explained.

"Certainly; first off let me show you…" Alexander began but was interrupted by a knock on the door "what is it?"

The door opened revealing a Stealth Force operative who immediately dropped to his knees in a bow "sir, the Head Captain has called an emergency meeting and requests that all Captains report to the Captains' hall immediately!"

"I understand" Alexander replied as he grabbed the brown sack and a metallic sound echoed "sorry Retsu looks like you'll get to see what's in my bag of tricks at the same time as everyone else."

"I look forward to it regardless" Retsu assured him before turning to the agent "you may want to tell your colleagues that you sent to Squads Four, Eight, Ten, and Thirteen that we're already aware."

"Ma'am" he replied before disappearing as the five Captains left for the meeting.

They arrived to see Yamamoto standing still as a statue as he kneeled on his cane which hid his Zanpakutou. On the left side in front of him Soi Fon stood silently with her arms crossed just a short distance away from Byakuya before Retsu took her place between them while Shunsui and Toushirou took their places to Byakuya's left, while on the right Sajin was standing tall and resolute as Alexander and Jyuushiro took their spots on his sides.

Shunsui couldn't help but noticed that Byakuya seemed to somewhat ruffled despite his attempts to remain stoic.

"Did something happen to you?" Shunsui asked curiously.

"That's of no concern to you" Byakuya answered coldly.

"Sorry" Shunsui replied _"I'll have to look into this later" _he thought in amusement.

"_Did Youmei have something to do with this?"_ Alexander wondered as he noticed Sajin turning to him.

"I trust being a Captain is treating you well so far" Sajin stated.

"It's been an…**interesting** couple of days" Alexander replied as Kenpachi and Mayuri entered the Hall.

"Thank you all for gathering on such short notice" Yamamoto began "to our latest member, Squad Five Captain Alexander Dark-Heart I must apologize, I'm afraid our current circumstances leave us no time for your official coronation."

"I'll live" Alexander shrugged.

"With that out of the way, let this Captain's meeting begin" Yamamoto continued ignoring Alexander's comment "as you all know yesterday afternoon one of our allies Orihime Inoue was taken prisoner by Sousuke Aizen."

"_Did he just say 'taken prisoner'?"_ Toushirou thought to himself _"If you know she didn't betray us then why the Hell did you declare her a traitor?!"_

"Subsequently as a result the Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki has gone into Hueco Mundo to attempt a rescue operation" Yamamoto explained "to make matters worse it would seem that Lieutenant Abarai of Squad Six and Rukia Kuchki of Squad Thirteen have abandoned their posts to help him."

"I'm surprised it took them that long to sneak out" Shunsui chuckled lightly.

"Those idiots" Soi Fon sighed.

"How uninteresting" Mayuri stated.

"_This is such a pain in the ass"_ Kenpachi swore in his mind.

"So what's the plan?" Jyuushiro asked.

"While this situation involving the Substitute Shinigami and his friends is unexpected, it presents us with an opportunity" Yamamoto began "I'm sure you remember that Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends have a talent for causing chaos and confusion…"

"_And how…" _the other Captains thought as they remembered their invasion.

"…as a result I think we can assume they'll at the very least create a large amount of chaos within Hueco Mundo" Yamamoto continued "…therefore we're going to send in a team of our own to try and take out Aizen before he can attempt to destroy Karakura Town."

"It would be nice if we could keep the fighting Hueco Mundo" Shunsui stated as he rubbed his chin.

"The problem is that we obviously can't all go in after them" Toushirou replied "since this is Aizen we're dealing with we should assume he's taken precautions; not to mention there's the Espada to deal with."

"Captain Hitsugaya, you're the only one among us to face these Arrancar so far" Jyuushiro began "what can you tell us about the Espada you fought against?"

"Yesterday faced off against two of them" Toushirou began "the first one I fought identified himself as number ten, he was strong but he was also a mindless idiot…"

"_Sounds like someone I know"_ Mayuri thought as he looked across the hall at Kenpachi who seemed to be falling asleep in boredom.

"…the second Espada identified himself as number six…" Toushirou continued as an image of Luppi flashed through his mind "…he was stronger and faster but over confident, I don't think any of us would have too much trouble defeating him, but…I don't think anyone who isn't a Captain class would be able to win against him."

"That's not good" Alexander sighed "especially when you consider the fact that means there are at least five Espada that are stronger than him, and somehow I get the feeling theres quite a power gap between these guys…"

"_And if that's the case I might have to use Tenso Jurin in Bankai mode or use __**it**__ to stand a chance against the stronger Espada"_ Toushirou thought to himself _"I don't care for either case."_

"…with that in mind it would be best if we could end this in Hueco Mundo" Alexander continued "but we face three questions; how many of us do we send to Hueco Mundo, Who do we send, and what do we do if Aizen moves on to attempt destroying Karakura Town and the team we send is stranded somehow?"

"Squad 12 Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Squad 11 Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, and Squad Six Captain Byakuya Kuchki shall be lead by Squad Four Captain Retsu Unohana into Hueco Mundo to assist the Substitute Shinigami" Yamamoto declared "be prepared to leave in three days time so ."

"Understood" Retsu replied.

"_Good I'll be able to make sure Rukia is alright"_ Byakuya thought to himself as he calmly nodded before coldly saying "very well."

"I hope there are some strong guys to fight"Kenpachi said as he licked his lips in anticipation.

"_A trip to Hueco Mundo huh?" _Mayuri pondered as a creepy smile spread across his face _"this could be an excellent opportunity to gather research specimens!!!"_

"The rest of shall prepare to face him Karakura Town in the event that Aizen get's away" Yamamoto stated "In the mean time, Captain Kurotsuchi; I want you to explain to everyone the steps taken so that we may fight at full strength. After that Squad Five Captain Alexander Dark-Heart shall explain his findings in regards to Aizen's Kyouka Suigetsu."

"Very well" Mayuri replied with a hint of annoyance _"it's really so simple why does he need me to explain it to everyone?"_

"Yes sir" Alexander said in understanding.

Mayuri explained how his squad had spent the past six months constructing a replica of Karakura town and how at any moment they were prepared to knock out the denizens of the real thing and switch them out. After that was done Alexander explained what he had managed to create during his self imposed six month exile and the theory he had developed concerning Aizen's shikai (which I will reveal to you all in later chapters).

"So let me get this straight" Mayuri began after Alexander finished speaking "you spent six months on this **research** and this is the best you could do?" Alexander nodded "how pathetic."

"Forgive me Mayuri" Alexander replied with a smirk "I guess I should've known that you would outperform me in regards to Aizen's illusions" Mayuri twitched "come now surely the great Chief of the Department of Research and Development was able to come up with something, especially considering the fact that you didn't lift a finger on this fake Karakura town; I admit what I've come up with isn't perfect, but you sure are quick to criticize if you don't have **anything**."

"Damn you" Mayuri hissed.

Yamamoto slammed his cane on the ground before loudly stating "Enough!!! This Meeting is hereby adjourned."

The Ten Captains left the hall in a rush, Toushirou could only shake his head as he was about to turn a cornor only to feel a hand grab his shoulder.

"Meet me in the usual place in an hour please" Alexander requested before leaving his student to go talk to Retsu "oh and please bring Rangiku, Elaina, and Youmei."

"_What now?!"_ Toushirou wondered as he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

*An hour later*

Toushirou arrived with the people Alexander had requested at their old training grounds; they were in the middle of the old Ghost Town Kaname had shown him during his first days as a soldier in Squad Nine. Toushirou had used the area to get used to flying after his Bankai had evolved to the point where it had wings and he suspected Alexander had used it as a practice flight zone as well, the area stretched out for miles so it was easy to train without witnesses. He found his mentor and his date towards the very center of the abandoned section of the city.

"What did you want to see me about?" Toushirou asked "why did you want me to bring these three, and why is Captain Unohana here?"

Alexander smiled softly before saying "Rangiku, Youmei, Elaina, Retsu, you already know about what me and Captain Hitsugaya here have been **hiding** right?"

Toushirou's eyes opened in fear before he spat out "Alex we can't talk about **that** in front of other people!!!"

"You told me about yourself after we started dating" Retsu answered.

"You told me as soon as soon as you were released from the hospital" Elaina stated lightly.

"I noticed that Captain's Hitsugaya's spiritual pressure **changed** temporarily during that mission to the satellite about a year ago" Youmei replied "I found out the details when I sat down with Captain Dark-Heart for a little chat after that mission."

"And I **saw it** when Captain Hitsugaya used it during that mission" Rangiku explained "he saved my life with it."

Toushirou was stunned "you all know?"

"Weren't you listening to us just now?" Elaina asked.

"If you're nervous about it, please don't be; we won't tell anyone" Youmei assured him.

Toushirou was speechless at the sudden support as Alexander made a fake cough to get everyone's attention back on him for a moment.

"In any case I decided it's time for one last throw down between me and my young pupil here" Alexander stated "and this time I want the two of us to go **all out**…which why I asked you ladies to join us."

"You want us to create a large barrier so the two of you can fight at full power without the Head Captain learning of your little **secret**" Retsu said with a knowing expression across her face.

"That sums it up" Alexander replied "sorry to trouble you."

"It's no trouble at all" Elaina said lightly as she turned to the other women who nodded in response before the four of them disappeared with a shunpo.

"What is the meaning of this exactly?!" Toushirou asked.

"That little scene with the ladies was meant to remind you that you're not alone in this struggle Toushirou" Alexander explained "as for this fight…" suddenly a large barrier appeared on all sides forming a cube with sides several dozen miles in length "…well I'll explain the reason for it soon" he placed his left hand over his heart before chanting "Seal of the Beast, Release."

"_It's been so long since I've felt this spiritual pressure"_ Toushirou thought as Alexander's spiritual pressure began to weigh down on him, it was now much stronger than it usually was and more surprisingly yet was the fact that it was now even darker and more twisted than normal.

"This is the first time since that mission forty years ago" Alexander stated as he thought back to their encounter with an **unusual** group of people "I must say it feels good to release that seal" he stretched out his arms and legs before drawing his swords "don't worry, just do it Toushirou."

"_Damn no choice"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as he placed his left hand over his heart, drew Hyourinmaru with his right, and chanted "Seal of the Beast, Release" his own spiritual pressure now increased in strength and though it wasn't as dark as Alexander's, it was still far denser and much more evil in nature.

"We'll start off light" Alexander said calmly as he slammed his blades together "Bankai!!!" he was engulfed in Black and White Spirit energy before he emerged with his ultimate weapon "Hakumeitenshi Kokuhyou and Nehan!"

"_He calls this starting off light?"_ Toushirou thought before chanting "Bankai!!!" ice immediately enveloped his body as a dragon's head formed over his right hand, talons formed over his left arm and legs, a long tail sprang out, a dozen petals formed behind him, and a pair of dragon wings made of ice formed on his back "Daigurren Hyourinmaru!"

The two Captains flapped their mighty wings propelling them about a dozen feet into the air. Toushirou immediately flew towards his teacher at full speed and swung his blade downwards, Alexander blocked the attack by swinging his blade upwards while holding it sideways. He followed it up with a spiral swing but Toushirou dodged it by quickly flying higher into the air.

"Let's see how you handle this" Toushirou said softly as Alexander suddenly found himself surrounded by several ice pillars and Toushirou pointed his sword directly at his fellow Captain "Sennen Hyoro" he said softly before rotating the hilt of his sword ninety degrees and the pillars slammed into Alexander "did I get him?" he asked as four of his petals disappeared.

Toushirou regretted asking that question when his ice shattered into hundreds of fragments and Alexander emerged seemingly unharmed by the attack before flying towards his student at full speed.

"Ryusenka" Toushirou shouted as he dodged a downward swing from Alexander's weapon leaving him in a giant flower of ice and another full flower of petals disappeared.

"That won't work on me" Alexander stated bluntly as it too shattered into nothingness.

"_I can't say I'm surprised" _Toushirou thought weakly as Alexander suddenly appeared in front of him with his blade held high, Toushirou blocked his downward swing by holding Hyourinmaru horizontally; however the sheer force of the swing sent Toushirou plummeting to the ground and left a ditch the length of a city block in the ground _"the cold hard fact is that my Daigurren Hyourinmaru is simply no match for your Hakumeitenshi Kokuhyou and Nehan…"_ the dust cleared revealing the young Captain of the Tenth Squad lying on his back covered in dirt, his wings had effectively been grounded into dust, his talons were shattered, the dragon head engulfing his right arm was missing several large chunks missing, and worst of all he had but one petal left _"…I can't hope to beat you with __**this**__ Bankai…"_

"Quite holding back Toushirou" Alexander half ordered as he flew in front of the boy about twenty feet in front of him, Toushirou's eyes opened in shock as Alexander performed a familiar gesture causing his spiritual pressure to surge to even higher levels of power, the force was practically choking the younger Captain "And stop being ashamed of your powers."

"Ashamed of my powers?!" Toushirou asked in confusion.

"Yes" Alexander replied "don't try to kid me, because I can tell. The real reason why you don't like to use Hyourinmaru because you're ashamed of what happened to Kusaka because he had the same Zanpakutou and the sheer danger behind using its power due to it incompleteness are just convenient excuses" Toushirou cringed slightly at his words "and the real reason you don't want to use **this** power is because your ashamed of your past!!!"

Toushirou was silent for a moment before he asked "and so what about you?" he looked at his teacher fiercely "do you expect me to believe that you're not ashamed of your powers after all the grief you've shown me and some of the others?!"

Alexander sighed weakly before saying "I think you're confused about something, let me explain…" he landed softly on the ground right below him "…I was never ashamed of my powers; don't forget that I was **born** with dark powers…so I've always been at peace with my powers regardless if it was my Warlock abilities, the powers I gained as a Shinigami, and even **this** power. The only things I'm ashamed of are what I did or failed to do with these powers" Toushirou closed his eyes in understanding "you need to stop living in the past Toushirou, otherwise you'll lose sight of the future" Toushirou stood up "and you'll never surpass me, the Head Captain, **or** Aizen if your resolve is really that weak; now show me your power!!!"

Alexander's words cut in deep into Toushirou's mind, he was silent for several moments before he finally replied "Fine I'll show you my power…" as he prepared to carry out the same gesture that Alexander had just demonstrated.

"_Listen you may not have wanted this power but the fact is that you __**do **__have it, so we'll just have to make the best of it"_ Rangiku's voice said gently in Toushirou's memory.

"…_You're absolutely right Rangiku…I don't know what I'd do without you"_ Toushirou thought before he performed the gesture and his own spiritual pressure sky rocketed just as Alexander's had earlier _"and I simply can't thank you enough."_

"_Well now I wasn't expecting __**this**__"_ Alexander said to himself as he watched his opponent's Bankai **reform**, Toushirou couldn't see it but Alexander was smirking _"he may actually be able to finally beat me in an honest fight."_

"Thank you Alex" Toushirou said earnestly as he took he flapped his wings and flew about fifteen feet into the air and Alexander did the same "are you ready to finish this?"

"Of course" Alexander answered.

"_Let's see given what I know about his Bankai's abilities it would be best if I could get him out of the air…"_ Toushirou thought as he waved his left hand over Hyourinmaru's blade from the hilt to the tip before chanting "Fuyuishuu (Winter Swarm)" dozens of dragons made of ice emerged from the blade, each was about the size of Toushirou's arm, unlike the projectiles that Toushirou normally fired from his sword these were full bodied dragons with wings and claws and with a swing of Toushirou's blade they immediately flew towards their target.

"_Brilliant"_ Alexander thought after analyzing this new technique with his demonic eyes, he swung his sword in an attempt to swat the dragons but most of them managed to dodge his blade and shot him with a miniature beam of ice throwing back several yards before he regained his control, he looked towards the dragons that he **had** hit earlier to see that they were quickly regenerating by absorbing water from the atmosphere _"he's forced my hand on this one…"_ he chuckled to himself before he began chanting "I call upon the power of the damned angel and the blessed demon, my right arm is the Greed that steals the souls of the affluent and my left arm is the Charity that returns the souls of the destitute; Hakumeiumou (Twilight Feathers)" Alexander's wings shattered into what appeared to be dozens of silver feathers which flew off to attack Toushirou's sprites and they engaged in continuous combat with neither attack really having any effect on the other _"Congratulations you've taken my wings"_ he thought as he landed on the ground and looked up to his student, though he couldn't see it he could tell his Toushirou was wearing one of his rare smiles.

"_I've finally got you"_ Toushirou said to himself before swinging his sword sending an ice attack towards his teacher on the ground.

Alexander dodged the attack as he made his way closer to below Toushirou. Toushirou then focused his energy for a moment before sending five ice dragons the size of his body racing towards Alexander. Alexander leapt towards them with all his might, his blade glowing just before they intercepted one another causing an explosion of black and white energy and ice; moments later to Toushirou's shock Alexander emerged from the tail end of his attack. The Fifth Squad's Captain was covered in ice, he had cuts across his chest, and his outfit was torn to ribbons, despite all that he was still heading straight for him.

"_Looks like you still have a ways to go before you surpass me"_ Alexander noted mentally as he grabbed Toushirou by the front of his kimono with his left hand and raised his weapon with his; to Alexander's sheer shock the Toushirou he was holding chuckled softly before shattering into ice and snow _"a clone?!"_ he looked to side to see Toushirou flying towards him, preparing to swing his sword downward _"well done indeed"_ Alexander swung his sword horizontally resulting in an even bigger explosion of snow, ice, and black and white energy than before.

*Five minutes late*

"Holy crap, those two weren't screwing around" Elaina stated lightly as she and Retsu pulled Alexander out of a pile of debris while Rangiku and Youmei retrieved Toushirou from another pile nearby.

"So who won exactly?" Youmei asked not sure what to make of the sight in front of them.

"I'd say it's a tie" Retsu chuckled as the two men came to and nodded in agreement.

"_Men"_ Rangiku sighed as Retsu and Elaina began the first aid treatment.

"Thank you Rangiku" Toushirou said with a small smirk on his face.

"For what?" Rangiku asked in surprise at his sudden display of gratitude.

"For helping me overcome my shame" Toushirou answered causing his usually happy go lucky Lieutenant to blush slightly.

The others could only laugh happily at the situation.

*Three Days later*

As planned the Seireitei sent in their team of four Captains to try and aid Ichigo and his friends. However as they feared Aizen had predicted their move and had sealed the four of them in Los Noches while he appeared in the world of the living where he met Toushirou and the others. Thanks to Yamamoto's Ryuujin Jakka Aizen was sealed temporarily along with Gin and Kaname in a sea of inferno; unfortunately that still left them to deal with the top three Espada and their subordinates. After successfully defending the four anchors which kept the real Karakura town in Soul Society the shinigami and the numerous Arrancar paired up to fight. And as luck would have it, Toushirou found himself face to face with an Espada.

The Espada he was starring down had the appearance of a young woman about the same apparent age as Rangiku; she had long blonde hair which she wore in three braids, her skin was a soft brown color, and she had rather large breasts; but the trait Toushirou found the most striking were her wild green eyes which gave off an air of intensity and intelligence at the same time. She wore the strangest garbs he had ever seen apart from Mayuri's **changes **over the decades; the bottom half of her outfit was basically a white version of a shinigami's robes, while all she wore to go with it was a jacket which covered all of her arms and the bottom half of her face but left the bottom half of her breasts exposed. Toushirou had a suspicion that her mask fragments must be located on her face or upper body and that she wore that outfit to draw attention away from it.

After a pair of speeches made by Yamamoto and an Espada who had the appearance of an equally ancient man the two sides attacked one another. The female Espada drew her sword from its holster on her back; it had the appearance of a short broadsword with the inside of the blade cut out. Toushirou in turn drew Hyourinmaru before the two soldiers approached each other at full speed and locked blades; after many fights, deceptions, and months of preparation the Winter War had finally begun.

**Author's Notes: Okay that's Chapter 21 hoped you enjoyed it. Sorry you all had to wait so long but the holidays, end of the semester homework, and the holidays put a real stopper on this. Anyway before I update again you may want to refresh yourselves with the events from Chapter 6 'Betrayal' because next chapter you get to find out just what the hell happened and what this 'power' is that Alexander and Toushirou keep referring to. As for how they plan to get through Aizen's illusions and what the apparent problems were with Alexander's research…well you'll have to wait even longer for those answers.**

**In any case please read, review, and check out my profile.**

**Next Chapter will be "The Shark and the Dragon" and a fair warning to the faint of heart, I don't know what TK has planned for this whole war, but I can tell you that in my version people WILL DIE on BOTH sides and most of the deaths are going to have some sad elements to them. **


	22. The Shark and the Dragon

Author's notes: Happy New Year everybody, I got my first update for the new decade; here's hoping this decade will be better than the one we just left behind.

Make sure you remember what occurred in Chapter 6 Betrayal and the points I laid out in the Author's Notes at the beginning of Chapter 7 Hope because in this chapter you get to find out just what the hell happened to Toushirou and Alexander

I do not own Devil May Cry or Bleach

Please Read and Review

**Ch. 22 The Shark and the Dragon**

"_How strange, I didn't think that one of the Shinigami Captains would be a child"_ Harribel thought as she blocked one strike after another from Toushirou's blade as they fought in the skies over Karakura town _"he seems to be focusing on attacks that'll allow him to dodge or counter in an instant…he must be trying to get a feel for my fighting style; smart." _

"_Damn, she's just toying with me"_ Toushirou swore as he leapt back to avoid a horizontal swing _"does she realize I'm trying to feel out her abilities?"_ Harribel looked at him with those fearsome green eyes of hers _"there's no doubt about it, this woman is different from the last two Espada I encountered; not only is she considerably stronger, but she lacks their arrogance and overconfidence that made them easy to outsmart"_ Toushirou held his blade just over his left shoulder before chanting "Reign over the frosted frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!"

Harribel's eyes opened in slight surprise as a dragon of water and ice came hurtling towards her, she held her Zanpakutou in front of her horizontally blocking the attack while only being pushed back a few feet.

"So you're an ice elemental?" Harribel said inquisitively.

"What's it to you?" Toushirou asked in annoyance as he began to swing his crescent blade with his left hand.

"I find it ironic" Harribel answered calmly as he threw the crescent blade towards her.

Harribel dodged the crescent blade by side stepping to her right sending the blade whizzing past her left side, in less than a moment she saw Toushirou dash past her right side with a Shunpo. Harribel's eyes opened in sudden realization as she saw Toushirou spin around a hundred and eighty degrees before grabbing part of the chain that flew past her left side with his left hand and quickly yanking it towards him. Out of the corner of her eye Harribel saw ice forming on a section of the chain which was quickly approaching her abdomen, she immediately performed a front flip just in time to avoid being ensnared in chain's icy trap.

"_This kid"_ Harribel thought slightly stunned _"in terms of raw strength, speed, and defense he would appear to be in the same class as some of the lower tier Espada. However he seems to possess special abilities and a very high degree of intelligence which can allow him to get the upper hand against stronger opponents…" _

"_Damn, she managed to avoid it"_ Toushirou thought in annoyance _"she's far more perceptive than the others I've faced as well."_

"…_truly a dangerous opponent in every sense of the phrase"_ Harribel noted.

"You sure seemed to be taking this fight quite lightly" Toushirou stated as he took his stance "a fair warning, you're going to get hurt if you don't take me seriously."

"I can see that" Harribel informed him before they charged each other again _"may as well see what you can do, who knows maybe you'll be able to force me into using my resurrección…but I doubt it."_

*Nearby*

"Hey midget, how dare you raise your sword against Master Harribel!!!" Apache shouted angrily as she was about to join the fight.

"Hold it Apache" Mila Rose commanded calmly.

"What are you talking about Mila Rose? That little bastard drew his sword against Master Harribel!!!" Apache replied.

"Don't be a dumbass" Mila Rose said bluntly "Master Harribel's already drawn her sword, that silver haired kid doesn't stand a chance" she pointed towards Rangiku behind her "If you want to fight, help us finish her off."

"Yeah, now that I think of it, she said she would take on all three of us at once, didn't she?" Apache stated "but she's impossible! Three against one is obviously too much for her!"

"Oh my, you've got pretty good ears. I was convinced that you had bad ears, an ugly face and awful style!" Rangiku replied in a mocking tone.

"What was that?! YOU BITCH!!!" Apache yelled out.

"Calm down, she's trying to get you angry" Mila Rose hissed in annoyance as she locked Apache in a head lock.

"You best listen to the female gorilla" Rangiku mocked.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A GORILLA, COWTITS?!" Mila Rose shouted just like Apache had earlier.

"Would you both quite down?" Sun-Sun asked "I know you're both stupid, but don't drag me into this."

"What the hell did you just say Sun-Sun?!" Mila Rose and Apache asked in perfect sync.

"Didn't you hear me? Fine I'll say it as many times as you like" Sun-Sun replied as she moved up to her colleagues covering the lower half of her face with her left sleeve before waving her right as she said "You…two…are…completely…stupid."

"Why you, who's side are you on anyway?!" Apache screeched.

"_Perfect"_ Rangiku thought she placed her left hand over her blade and chanted "growl Haineko" the three Arrancar could only look at the Lieutenant in surprise as her blade disintegrated and they found themselves surrounded in a storm of ash.

"What the hell is this?" Apache asked as she was about to stretch out her arm to touch the ash but was swatted by Sun-Sun.

"Don't touch something if you don't know what it is" Sun-Sun commanded.

"It's over" Rangiku stated calmly "you lost any advantage your numbers gave you the moment you gathered together in one place; now you have nowhere to go…" she explained solemnly "…surrounded by blades of ash" Rangiku began to tighten the vortex but three bright orbs began to glow moments before her ash was blown away by three ceros.

"I think you've underestimated us" Apache stated smugly.

"_Damn…this won't be as easy as I thought"_ Rangiku thought as her enemies prepared to attack her.

*with Harribel and Toushirou*

"_Rangiku"_ Toushirou thought in concern as he and Harribel were forced away from each other, thus far neither of them were injured.

"Are you concerned about your subordinate?" Harribel asked coldly as she noticed Toushirou's fluctuating spirit energy.

"What's it to you?" Toushirou replied without answering her question.

"You had best focus on your fight with me, otherwise…" Harribel stated calmly before disappearing with a Sonido and reappearing with her face only inches away from Toushirou's face "…you'll die" she swung her sword horizontally locking blades with Toushirou.

"Back off!!!" Toushirou demanded as he swung his own sword horizontally sending an arch of ice towards Harribel which she dodged by leaping over it _"don't you dare die Rangiku!"_

*With Rangiku*

"Isn't it clear yet?!" Apache asked loudly as she rushed towards Rangiku in an attempt to finish her off.

Rangiku, Sun-Sun, and Mila Rose could only look in shock as a fireball slammed into Apache keeping her from striking down Rangiku.

"Momo…" Rangiku gasped in shock at her colleague from Squad Five appeared holding her released Zanpakutou.

"I'm glad I got here in time" Momo stated in relief.

_Flashback_

"Sir, I would like you to take me with you to the World of the Living" Momo requested in front of Alexander's desk.

"May I ask what you intend to do if I say 'Yes'?" Alexander asked "after all I still have you on a leave of absence."

"I…I don't honestly know" Momo answered earnestly "but I need to be there on the front lines…or else I don't know if I'll ever…"

"I understand what you're getting at" Alexander replied "give me some time to think it over, trust me you'll know if I decide you can go."

"Thank you sir" Momo said respectfully before leaving the office.

"What a mess" Alexander sighed heavily "Damn you Aizen."

*Hours later*

Momo opened the door to her quarters calmly as she walked in, suddenly her eyes darted towards a small table nearby where her badge was sitting quietly next to a note. Momo picked up the note which read 'do what you need to do, but be careful'.

"Thank you" Momo chocked as a tear escaped her eye and she fastened her badge around her left arm _"I'm coming to face you…Captain Aizen…"_

_End Flashback_

"Momo, are you alright?" Rangiku asked in shock at the sight of the younger lieutenant.

"Don't worry, I'm wearing this badge as the Lieutenant of Squad Five, not as Captain Aizen's subordinate" Momo replied "he is…the enemy of the Soul Society."

"I see…" Rangiku stated as Apache emerged from the smoke and regained her composure "…get ready."

"Right" Momo said in response as she took her stance.

"_Momo…I don't know if you realize this, but just now you referred to him as 'Captain' Aizen"_ Rangiku thought as Mila Rose and Sun-Sun shook their heads in disapproval _"and besides you are Captain Dark-Heart's subordinate now…"_

"Damn it another one" Apache swore as she looked at Momo in rage at her interruption "another lieutenant by the looks of it though it won't matter."

*Nearby*

"_So you came Momo"_ Alexander thought _"please don't do anything rash."_

"So you allowed your Lieutenant to come with you" Yamamoto stated as he observed the young woman's entrance "do you think it wise?"

"Momo is a kidou master, like me" Alexander replied calmly "even if I had said 'no', she only would've followed us here on her own."

"You think she's okay Dad?" Elaina asked in concern as she and Youmei watched her intently _"if she does something stupid and hurts Lieutenant Matsumoto, I'll kill her!!!"_

"I don't honestly know" Alexander replied heavily _"In war there is very little certainty of any kind"_ he turned his gaze towards his former Captain _"be careful Toushirou."_

*With Toushirou and Harribel*

"Your spiritual pressure flickered just now" Harribel stated calmly as she locked blades with Toushirou again.

"What are you talking about?" Toushirou asked trying to change the subject.

"What happened?" Harribel inquired.

"Hell if I know" Toushirou replied as he sent an ice dragon racing towards the female Espada _"Momo…"_

*Back with Rangiku and Momo*

"I'm sick of this Sun-Sun, Mila-Rose, let's finish them off in one go so we can go help Master Harribel!!!" Apache spat out.

"Don't try to give me orders" Mila-Rose replied.

"I could never follow someone as dumb as you" Sun-Sun added "although…"

"…I suppose you have the right idea" Mila-Rose concurred before the three of them rushed towards the two lieutenants, moments before they were about to strike they were stopped in their tracks by an invisible force.

"What the hell is this?" Apache asked as she tried to force her way foreword but to no avail.

"I'm no fool" Momo began "I know that you're much stronger than me, so I hid my spiritual pressure using kidou so I could get in close enough to use Tobiume; while I was at it I stretched my spirit energy into a kidou net…" an orange net suddenly appeared which was holding the three Arrancar back "…but I never imagined that I would ensnare all three of you…"

"Damn it" Mila-Rose and Apache hissed.

Momo leaned Tobiume against the source thread sticking out from her badge before chanting "…burst Tobiume!!!" suddenly the area around both lieutenants was enflamed by a loud explosion consuming all three of the Arrancar.

"That was amazing" Rangiku stated in amazement.

"Thanks this is the first time I've used in combat…" Momo replied in relief _"…against an enemy that is…"_

"THRUST…" Apache shouted from the smoke causing both Lieutenants to open their eyes in shock "…CIERVA!!!" she emerged from the smoke with brown fur covering her body and a pair of large deer antlers on top of her head.

"Devour…" Mila-Rose commanded "…Leona!!!" her clothing had changed giving her the appearance of an armored Amazon warrior, she now had a large broad sword in place of her long sword, and a long golden mane over the back of her head.

"Strangle to death…" Sun-Sun chanted "…Anaconda" her upper body remained largely unchanged but the lower half of her body had become serpentine giving her the appearance of a Naga.

"No way…" Momo stated in shock "…I'm positive I captured all three of them in my net and they're not even hurt."

"It's their resurrección, it healed their injuries when they transformed" Rangiku explained as the three beast women looked upon them with anger evident in their eyes _"no choice…"_ she pulled out a tiny square container and opened it revealing what appeared to be a small brown ball of candy "…Momo get back."

"What did you say?" Momo asked in disbelief.

"Your captain gave me this a few hours ago, he said 'eat this if you find yourself in a jam, but make sure you tell your allies to clear out before you consume it' so hurry and get out of here" Rangiku explained as Apache began to fly towards her at full speed, she shoved Momo to the side with her left hand before popping the candy in her mouth with her right _"how strange it tastes like….sake…."_

"_You're first you damn skank!!! I'm going to impale you until not even your own mother would recognize you!!!" _Apache thought as Rangiku's posture suddenly went from tense to incredibly slouched _"so you've finally given up…too bad!!!"_ just as Apache was about to impale Rangiku with her antlers, she was stopped be Rangiku's hand grabbing onto the top of her head; even more surprising was the fact that Apache failed to move the Lieutenant so much as a single inch while she had been stopped dead in her tracks _"what the hell?!"_

Rangiku began to giggle like a madwoman when she looked at Apache with a silly grin across her face and completely flushed cheeks "ah naw looky a the cute lil deery" she chuckled.

Apache tried to grab Rangiku's arm only for her to be thrown to the ground with tremendous force, the impact sent dust and debris flying hundreds of feet into the air forming a small mushroom cloud. Rangiku continued to chuckle until she hiccupped with Mila-Rose and Sun-Sun looking at her in a mix of shock and terror.

*With Harribel and Toushirou*

Both the Captain and the Espada turned towards the recent explosion between their subordinates in surprise at the latest development.

"Dark-Heart, what have you done?" Toushirou sighed as he shook his head in sheer disbelief _"I don't know if I should be thanking you or plotting to kill you for this…"_

"What happened to your lieutenant?" Harribel asked trying her hardest to restrain her shock and concern as Mila-Rose swung her sword horizontally trying to slice Rangiku in half, Rangiku merely leapt on top of the blade before jumping on top of Mila-Rose's head sending her to the ground just like Apache "a few minutes ago she couldn't handle the three of them in their normal forms, and now she's…"

"Rangiku is a…difficult woman" Toushirou replied as he thought back to all the trouble she had caused him "one of her quirks is that whenever she gets drunk, she also somehow becomes about ten times stronger than she is normally…" Sun-Sun lunged at Rangiku only for her to grab her tail end before spinning her around and throwing her towards Apache and Mila-Rose causing all three to crash into the ground like it was nothing "…before you all arrived here an old friend of ours gave her a special candy he had cooked up…judging from the effects I'd say it must have the potency of a small pub's worth of Sake…" he turned toward Harribel "…if it wasn't for the fact that I need to kill Aizen and Ichimaru, I'd ask you to run me through right now."

"_Such an unusual child"_ Harribel thought as rushed towards him and swung her sword vertically only to be blocked by a horizontal strike from Toushirou.

*Back with Rangiku*

"Damn it" Mila-Rose hissed.

"Come on ya guys, we shildn't be fightin, let's go clubbing" Rangiku offered cheerfully as Momo simply watched in disbelief.

"_Dark-Heart, you are simply too much"_ Momo thought as she shook her head, suddenly Momo realized that Rangiku's mannerisms were slowly becoming less sloppy _"don't tell me it's wearing off already!!!"_

Sun-Sun turned to Apache and Mila-Rose before the three gave a rare nod of agreement, Rangiku and Momo watched in horror as the three women proceeded to literally tear off their own left arms and throw them together before chanting "Chimera Parca!!!"

"What is that?" Rangiku asked in disbelief as a horrifying creature emerged from the flash of light and worse yet she could feel the effects of the candy wearing off.

Before Rangiku could react she felt the beast rush past her taking her out with a single blow to her lower torso. Rangiku's pupils dilated as she fainted from the force which collapsed several of her ribs and triggered internal bleeding in numerous spots. Before she could react, Momo was sent flying towards the ground with her. The beast approached but was quickly distracted when Izuru and Shuuhei arrived on the scene.

"_Rangiku, Momo!!!" _Toushirou thought in concern as he nearly lost his head to Harribel's sword preventing him from coming to their aid _"Damn it!!!"_

"Izuru, leave this guy to me" Shuuhei commanded as he began to spin Kazeshini.

"Trying to take all the glory for yourself?" Izuru asked with a hint of amusement.

"Don't play dumb you know you're the only one who can save them" Shuuhei replied "you were squad four once."

"That was a long time ago" Izuru explained solemnly.

"Well do what you can" Shuuhei asked "Rangiku and Momo won't last long otherwise."

"Understood" Izuru replied as he gathered Momo and Rangiku into a strong barrier and began to try healing them.

Minutes later Shuuhei found himself crashing into the streets due to the beast's incredible strength as the Arrancar that unleashed it looked at him in amusement. It raised one of its giant fists as if it was about to smash him to death however it turned just as Tetsuzaimon was preparing to behead it with his unusually shaped Zanpakutou. Tetsuzaimon was about to swing his weapon towards the creature, unfortunately the beast spun around and swiped at the Lieutenant of Squad Seven. Tetsuzaimon was powerless as the beast's claws sliced deep into his torso sending him crashing into the ground.

"TETSUZAIMON!!!" Shuuhei shouted as the monster began to move in on him, he was certain that his death was upon him when suddenly a large shadow appeared above him, he looked up in shock at the figure floating above him.

"Good grief, you kids are pathetic making me fight" Yamamoto stated as he eyed the abomination before him.

"Shuuhei, are you alright?" Sajin asked as he appeared before the acting Captain of Squad Nine.

"I'm fine but Tetsuzaimon…" Shuuhei chocked as Elaina and Youmei appeared in front of the Lieutenant of Squad Seven.

Sajin's eyes opened in shock as he turned towards his Lieutenant "is he alright?!" Elaina shook her head as she slipped her finger underneath his sunglasses and closed his eyes respectfully, Sajin's face contorted in rage _"Aizen, Kaname!!!"_

"Stay focused Captain Komamura" Yamamoto commanded as the chimera punched towards the ancient Captain with its right fist as it roared loudly, moments later Yamamoto had stopped its fist with nothing but a single hand "what's the matter? You didn't reach me" the beast only continued to roar in its rage as it tried to strike the old man "are you just a monster who can think of nothing but killing people?" it still gave no answer "how pitiful; Ryuujin Jakka number one nadegiri" the beast was instantly consumed in a large wave of fire leaving nothing but ashes behind.

*Back with Toushirou and Harribel*

Harribel found herself surprised at the amount of spirit energy her opponent must have possessed for the dozens of ice dragons that came rushing towards her, she dodged them one at a time but out of the corner of her eye she saw the source flying towards her with one of his dragons, in only a moment he appeared right above her and swung his sword vertically which she blocked by bracing her sword horizontally with both hands.

"You're concentration has improved drastically, is this because your Head Captain intervened to save your subordinate?" Harribel inquired as she noted that his eyes were now much fiercer, she could tell he was now taking this fight seriously, he was trying to kill her _"so this is his bond with those women…"_

"What's it to you?!" Toushirou replied before spinning around and thrusting his blade towards Harribel several times forcing her on the defense.

"…_his strikes are getting faster"_ Harribel noted just before he thrust his sword towards her blade and spun around and kicked her sword with both feet shocking Harribel at this unorthodox tactic as he followed it up with a vertical swing towards her head which she barely managed to block.

*With Yamamoto and the others*

"Focus on healing the injured Lieutenant Kira" Yamamoto commanded as the three female Arrancar appeared above him preparing to strike him despite the fact that each of them was missing an arm "you would challenge me in your state? I commend your courage…" suddenly the three women were engulfed in a single arc of flame before they could get near their target "…consider this a symbol of respect for that fighting spirit."

"Damn…it" they swore as they fell to the ground.

*With Toushirou and Harribel*

Harribel's eyes opened in shock as she sensed her Fracción fading away. She quickly regained her cold demeanor as forced Toushirou back with a single swing.

"_She's angry now"_ Toushirou noted as he retook his stance and she stood u completely.

"_Apache…Mila-Rose…Sun-Sun…you fought bravely"_ Harribel thought as she grabbed the zipper on the bottom of her jacket and began to unzip it.

Toushirou's eyes opened in shock as he spotted the number three tattooed on the left side of her right breast just below the remnants of her mask which covered her nipples "you're this strong and you're only the third…"

"I'm this strong?" Harribel asked "I don't recall ever showing you just what I'm capable of…" she finished unzipping the jacket to reveal the rest of her face which was covered by her mask giving her the appearance of a shark.

"_Shit"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as he sensed a violent increase in her strength before she rushed towards him "Bankai Daigurren Hyourinmaru" he folded his wings just in time as Harribel swung her sword throwing him back well over a dozen yards _"she's lost her calm…she may finally do something stupid and give me a chance to finish her, but I better be careful or she'll kill me."_

"_So his Bankai has the ability to regenerate damage" _Harribel thought in annoyance as his wings quickly regenerated and she focused energy into the hollow section of her blade "Proyectil Azul" firing a dense yellow blast of energy towards Toushirou which he blocked again with his wings only to be thrown to ground.

"_She's definitely become more aggressive"_ Toushirou noted as the dust cleared and he was standing up _"an Arrancar that cares for their subordinates, how odd."_

"This is a Captain's strength?! Apache and the others lost to this?!" Harribel asked harshly "Time to finish this…" she held her sword upside down in front of her "…Attack Tiburon!"

"_This may be a good time to use an ice clone" _Toushirou decided as his opponent was quickly surrounded in a large mass of water in the shape of a heart and ice quickly took the form of the young Captain, Toushirou hid in some nearby debris as large white blade poked out from the water _"let's see what you can do, Espada…"_

Toushirou was surprised when his opponent emerged from the cocoon; all her cloths had apparently disappeared, her face was now clear of any and all mask fragments which now had taken the form of a collar with extensions to cover her nipples, she had two ribbon like protrusions on her back which resembled shark fins, there was a thin spine like structure from the underside of her breasts reaching down to a miniskirt made out of bones over what appeared to be a black undergarment, she also appeared to be wearing a pair of knee high boots and elbow length gloves, her weapon was considerably larger than the sword she had previously wielded and had the appearance of a giant shark tooth, she now had marks which resembled lightning bolts on both sides of her face, and her three braids were gone giving her hair an incredibly wild appearance.

"Odd, her physical form hasn't changed as much as I expected it to" Toushirou said through his clone "I better not underestimate her…"

Harribel looked at the clone she thought was her opponent with murderous intent as she disappeared and severed the right side of his body from the rest of him in less than a moment. The clone could only look towards its right side in disbelief as a large amount of blood gushed from its body.

"You are no match for me, one blow from the shark and the ice dragon sinks into the sea" Harribel stated coldly as the clone fell to the ground, she looked over her shoulder to see Yamamoto observing them with a bored expression "you're next, I'll make you pay for taking their lives!!!"

Yamamoto made no reply, Harribel was about to attack the old man when she suddenly opened her eyes in shock as a blade appeared right next to her left eye. She ducked just in time to avoid losing the top half of her head as the real Toushirou swung his sword horizontally and swung her weapon horizontally in retaliation which he dodged by flying upward.

"What's going on?" Harribel asked in confusion.

"I didn't think your release would make you that much stronger and faster so quickly" Toushirou replied "good thing I took precaution" his ice clone's body shattered into a small cloud of ice and dust Harribel looked at him fiercely as he warned "don't underestimate our powers."

"_A decoy huh…strange, he wasn't this fast earlier even with his Bankai"_ Harribel thought "have you been toying with me boy?"

"Restraining your true abilities in order to analyze your opponent's abilities is an excellent strategy" Toushirou stated "by holding back after you started taking this fight seriously and utilizing my ice clone and regenerative powers I was able to analyze the speed and strength of your Resurección while keeping you in the dark in regards to **my** increase in strength and speed…" he explained as Harribel looked at him apparently angered by how calmly he had toyed with her "…sadly you probably have a good idea of it now, I was hoping to kill you with that surprise attack."

Harribel gave no reply as she swung her sword sending a rushing arc of water towards Toushirou. Toushirou struck the arc with his sword freezing it over until it encased Harribel's right arm, she looked at him in annoyance as she broke free of the ice with a swing of her right arm.

"Don't underestimate me" Toushirou warned "attack carelessly and you'll only be giving me another weapon to use against you" he swung Hyourinmaru sending a giant ice dragon racing towards Harribel.

"You're the one who's underestimating me" Harribel replied as she pointed Tiburon towards the dragon "Hirviendo" she commanded causing the dragon boil and evaporate before it could even touch her "if my water can become your weapon, then you must realize that the opposite is true as well. That is an iron law of battle…" she swung her sword downwards towards Toushirou "…Cascada!" a large waterfall rushed towards Toushirou with enough force to decimate an entire city block.

Moments later the water began to freeze over to Harribel's mild surprise before a cut appeared causing it to split in two revealing the child prodigy with his Bankai slightly damaged but was otherwise unharmed.

"If one's own attack can become the enemy's weapon, the opposite is true as well, huh? I'm well aware of that" Toushirou said calmly "I don't need you to lecture me about that. Guncho Tsurara!" dozens of ice-sickles the size of Toushirou's chest raced toward Harribel.

"Any attack will have the same result" Harribel stated with equal calm as she pointed her sword towards the ice-sickles "Hirviendo" like the dragon from earlier, the ice-sickles turned to mist before rushing behind her, one moment later she turned her head in shock at the cracking sound of the mist quickly refreezing behind her to see Toushirou swinging his sword vertically engulfing her in a large arc of ice.

"I will tell you something as thanks for the little lecture" Toushirou continued as Harribel dug herself out and regained her stance while still partly covered in ice "one faces the most danger during one's best attack; that is also an iron law of battle."

Harribel rushed towards Toushirou and locked blades with him for a moment before he spun around and she flew higher into the air.

Harribel then pointed her weapon towards Toushirou and chanted "La Gota" an incredibly large amount of water condensed into the shape of a shark's tooth before launching towards Toushirou which he dodged as it slammed into the ground decimating several houses leaving Toushirou grateful that they were fighting in fake Karakura Town; he continued to fly as Harribel followed him and fired a cero which chipped one of his wings.

"Tch…that was a pretty weak cero" Toushirou stated as he grabbed onto a building's guard railings with the talons on his feet "but I'm not surprised, you're waiting for the same thing as me aren't you?" Harribel's eyes flickered for a moment in surprise at his realization "you're waiting for the battlefield to be filled with condensation so you can finish me off in one blow…"

"_Cheeky brat"_ Harribel thought.

"Oh well…we'll never get anywhere if we're both after the same thing" Toushirou sighed "I've never used this in conjunction with my Bankai in combat before…but I guess there's a first time for everything."

"What are you talking about?" Harribel asked.

"The thing is I don't have to wait for water" Toushirou began as he held out his sword "Hyourinmaru is the most powerful of all ice type Zanpakutou, all water is my weapon…" Harribel's eyes opened wide in shock as the sky quickly blackened as far as her eye could see "…and all of heaven is under my command" he declared.

Harribel could only look at the sky in sheer shock that the boy she was facing had such power over the weather itself, even she couldn't hide the surprise in her voice as she asked "what…what is that?!"

"Tenso Jurin" Toushirou answered "its Hyourinmaru's most basic and most powerful abilities. My powers still haven't fully matured yet so I didn't want to use it with my Bankai…" he closed his eyes in a moment as he thought back to his numerous fights were he **wanted** to use it but couldn't for fear of killing everyone within a ten mile radius "…I wasn't sure I could control it. However…" he looked over his shoulder to see only five petals remaining on his countdown "…the ice behind me is about half gone so I shouldn't need to worry" he turned his attention back towards Harribel and asked "what is your name Espada?"

"Tercera Espada Tia Harribel" she answered with a clear hint of pride in her voice.

"I am the Captain of Squad Ten, Toushirou Hitsugaya" Toushirou informed her respectfully though he too had a strong hint of pride in his voice "here I come…" suddenly a large circular clearing with the diameter of a city block opened in the sky "…Hyoten Hyakkaso!!!" a virtual river of snow quickly raced from the opening towards Harribel.

Harribel quickly turned her weapon towards the approaching snow and chanted "Hir…" but was cut off as a flower of ice suddenly sprouted from her sword "wha…" ice began to engulf her from several parts of her body "what the hell?!"

"Hyoten Hyakkaso; whoever touches the snow instantly freezes like a flower, when the last of these one hundred petals fall" Toushirou began as she was suddenly completely engulfed an in obelisk of flowers made of ice "your life will be over" she was now frozen solid within Hyoten Hyakkaso, Toushirou sighed before saying "I'm sorry, it looks like you won't be able to avenge your underlings" he deactivated his Bankai and sheathed Hyourinmaru before thinking _"what a shame…"_ suddenly his body felt like it was three times heavier _"…I spent more energy on this fight than I thought, I need to rest or I won't make it."_

*Nearby*

"Thank goodness the Captain is okay" Youmei sighed in relief.

"Of course he is, because he knows I'd beat the hell out of him otherwise" Elaina stated calmly as she turned her gaze towards the obelisk while trying to help heal the injured while her father and Sajin guarded over them _"I must admit that really is something else…"_

Suddenly a violent wind blew past them as a large explosion occurred from where Soi Fon was facing off against Baraggan. Even the two Captains had trouble maintaining their footing due to the sheer force.

"So that's Captain Soi Fon's Bankai" Alexander stated in surprise at the sheer display of power as Sajin simply stood quietly taking a moment to mourn the loss of his lieutenant.

"I wasn't expecting that from her Bankai" Youmei said in surprise "how could she have ended up with a weapon like that?!"

"My money is on her temper" Elaina replied.

"So that's two of the Espada down and one to go" Sajin stated calmly "which just leaves the one Captains Kyouraku and Ukitake are fighting" suddenly they felt an immense spiritual pressure which put the last two Espada to shame as Starrk unleashed his Zanpakutou.

"Unfortunately it would appear that he's the strongest of the three" Alexander sighed _"Captain Soi Fon's lost her left arm and she just used a massive amount of energy in that last attack, I doubt she's in any shape to continue fighting; hopefully that Orihime girl will be able to do something about her arm. Captain Hitsugaya only has minor injuries but he's used too much energy to continue fighting, he needs to rest. Assuming that Captains Kyouraku and Ukitake can manage to beat the last Espada on their own that'll leave me, Captain Komamura, Head Captain Yamamoto, Elaina, and Youmei to handle Aizen, Gin, and Kaname"_ he looked at the hailing inferno which encased the three traitors _"of course that's assuming he doesn't have something up his sleeve…please hurry Retsu, the sooner we can get you and the others back here the better!"_

"Captain Dark-Heart" Sajin said earning him the attention of the Fifth Squad's Captain "try to stay focused; we're counting on you once the Hueco Mundo team finishes up."

"Right" Alexander replied _"be careful Retsu…"_

Several minutes later everyone in the fake Karakura town turned their gaze towards a humongous Garganta that opened in the sky as a small child like Arrancar with blonde hair emerged followed by an enormous hollow, it was so large that it had Gillian masks for nails and what appeared to be a large partially closed eye towards its top.

"_It's that thing from when Aizen made his getaway"_ Sajin thought as he recognized the eye shape.

Without warning the child like Arrancar disappeared with a Sonido before impaling Jyuushiro from behind with his bare hand sending him plummeting to the ground. Shunsui tried to kill the child for his actions only to be shot from behind by Starrk's pistol sending him right after his childhood friend. Immediately afterward the young Arrancar let out a blood curdling scream which shattered Toushirou's Hyoten Hyakkaso freeing Harribel from her icy prison to Toushirou's horror and blowing away the smoke from Barragan revealing that he was unharmed by Soi Fon's attack. But worst of all the hollow managed to blow away the hellish inferno keeping Aizen and the others at bay thus unleashing the three traitors on their former comrades.

"Captain Komamura, Captain Dark-Heart, please go" Izuru begged earning him a solemn look from both Captains "if you remain here you may be able to protect us but what good is it if everyone else dies, please go!!!"

"He makes a compelling argument" Alexander stated as he turned to Sajin and the two nodded "Elaina, Youmei, keep an eye on things here" the two flew into the air and drew their swords.

"It's all over" Izuru said in panic "it's really over" everyone prepared for the worst.

"Wait" a new voice echoed drawing the attention of everyone on scene regardless if they were from Aizen's army or the Thirteen Court Guard Squads "long time no see Aizen" the voice belonged to a young man with short blonde hair which was cut into a bowl who was standing next to three women and four other men, all of whom were dressed strangely, and all of whom were holding a Zanpakutou.

"That's" Kaname stated in surprise

"_Well I'll be damned"_ Alexander thought in shock.

"Oh wow, look at all those nostalgic faces" Gin said as Aizen showed no signs of emotion.

"I don't believe it" Toushirou stated dumbfounded.

"Shinji Hirako" Yamamoto couldn't hide his surprise at the sight of the former Captain of Squad Five who went missing one hundred and ten years ago "are you here for revenge?"

"On Aizen yeah, I don't really care about you though" Shinji stated with his signature grin "If there's anything I'm pissed at you for it's for making that damn barrier so strong" he pointed towards Saskibe who had several bruises across his face "if we hadn't found this guy and **convinced** him to let us in we'd still be out there."

"I see, so you're on our side?" Yamamoto inquired.

"Of course we aren't, we're simply against Aizen" Shinji replied "and we're with Ichigo Kurosaki" Yamamoto seemed to calmly absorb his words as the giant hollow suddenly began to literally spit out dozens of Gillian.

"_Shit"_ Toushirou swore in his mind, moments later Shinji and the other Vizards dawned their masks and rushed towards the Gillian effectively clearing them out in less than a minute _"I guess we should be counting our blessings right about now."_

"Like it?" Shinji asked as he appeared right above his former lieutenant "Gone an' got pretty damn good with these hollow forms, aint we? Aizen…" his mask began to disappear "…time to finish this!!!" Shinji swung his sword vertically attempting to slice through Aizen's torso.

Shinji was stopped in his tracks as a blade pressed up against his forehead, he managed to perform a back flip at the last second to avoid the attack with nothing but a small cut above his left eye.

"I missed" Kaname stated calmly

"Liar you got me" Shinji chuckled.

"I was trying to chop off your head from the eyes up, that little scratch counts as a miss" Kaname explained.

"Is that so underling?" Shinji asked in a mocking tone.

"It must make you sick to know that an underling like me is going to kill you" Kaname replied with his monotone voice before he gripped Suzumushi with both hands and attempted to run Shinji through only to be stopped when Sajin deflected his blade with his fist "Sajin!!" moments later Alexander appeared between the two friends and attempted to cut off his arm, Kaname was forced to leap back over a dozen yards "Alexander!!" the current Captain of Squad Five only looked at him harshly with his demonic eyes.

"I'm here to help masked ones…" Sajin stated.

"_This is awfully independent of you"_ Alexander thought with a smirk.

"You sure you want help a bunch of suspicious characters like ourselves?" Shinji asked in amusement "not that the two of you aren't pretty strange yourselves."

"You destroyed the Menos Grandes. That's enough for me" Sajin explained "I have decided to fight by your side! I won't accept no as an answer masked ones!"

"That's a little much for me…" Shinji replied as he waved his hand horizontally "…I'm no good with people like this."

*With Toushirou*

"He makes a good point" Toushirou sighed as he saw Harribel charge him from behind only to be intercepted by a young woman dressed in a school uniform which consisted of a pair of knee high black socks, light brown shoes, a blue green skirt, and matching long sleeve shirt; her mask was long with a triangular top and a cross shaped opening for her to see through.

Before Harribel could counter attack she was forced back by a small girl with blonde hair which she wore in stubby pigtails, she was dressed in a red jogging outfit and green flip flops, her mask was much more skeletal in appearance with diamond shaped markings above the eyebrows and featured a horn sticking out from its forehead.

"I'll worry about why you people are here later" Toushirou stated.

"Tch, yah I'd prefer not to help you" Hiyori replied "but now isn't the time."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" Lisa explained "that's enough for me."

"The feeling's mutual" Toushirou assured the Vizard girls as he drew Hyourinmaru _"this is starting to get crazy…"_ the three charged towards Harribel.

*With Kaname, Sajin, and Alexander*

"It's the opposite of last time" Sajin stated as he thought back to when he shielded the man in front of him from Kenpachi and the giant hollow split due to Mashiro and Kensei "I never thought the day would come when I would be protecting someone from you."

"I knew it would" Kaname replied "and I knew that one of us would die as a consequence" he took his stance towards the two Captains before him.

"Kaname Tousen" Alexander said with a commanding tone "I want to ask you about the Ikari incident twenty five years ago…"

"Lord Aizen took advantage of his obsession and Toushirou's protective nature to pin all his failed Hollowification experiments on him" Kaname stated.

"I see, so you were just using us all this time" Alexander replied with a heavy sigh "you are a serious disappointment Kaname."

"I could say the same of you Alexander" Kaname said in response "when I first brought you into my squad after the end of that foolish war I tried to bring you over to our side, since you to knew the pain of losing someone precious to you, I assumed that you would understand and help me in my search for justice…"

"How tragic" Alexander interrupted "I pity you, Kaname Tousen the fallen hero."

"It would seem that talking in meaningless" Kaname replied as he took his stance.

"Before we begin I have one more thing to ask you" Alexander stated only to be cut off as a scythe flew in and wrapped around Kaname's sword drawing attention from all three men "Lieutenant Hisagi, weren't you being healed by Elaina?"

"She's redirected her attention to treating Captain Ukitake" Shuuhei explained "please Captain Dark-Heart, Captain Komamura let me join this battle."

Moments later Alexander replied "three on one may not be fighting fair, but this **is** war."

"Not three on one, two on one" Sajin stated to his fellow Captain "Captain Dark-Heart, your one of the few who can see through Aizen's illusions and you're the only one who can retrieve our comrades in Hueco Mundo; we can't risk losing you now, so please stand back for now."

"_See through Lord Aizen's illusions, retrieve their Hueco Mundo team?! I can't allow him to live"_ Kaname thought as he freed his Zanpakutou from Shuuhei's shikai with a vibration before leaping towards the Fifth Squad's Captain only to be forced back as Sajin swung his sword vertically looking towards Alexander with a pleading expression.

"Don't die" Alexander commanded as he left with a Shunpo.

*With Team Hitsugaya and Harribel*

The Captain and the Vizards were fighting against the Espada with their shikais attempting to gain an advantage over her.

"_The Captain relies on his Zanpakutou's special abilities and his flexibility to adjust to his opponents allowing him to gain the upper hand against stronger opponents; however his spirit energy is running low due to that last attack" _Harribel as she forced him back and turned her attention towards Lisa _"this woman is ambidextrous, her style relies heavily on building up combos and quick movements in order to dodge attacks and move towards any openings in her enemy's defenses"_ she swung her weapon vertically forcing Lisa to leap backwards, in less than a moment Hiyori charged towards her preparing to swing her weapon diagonally _"this girl is strong but she's reckless and overly aggressive…"_ Harribel sidestepped Hiyori and pointed Tiburon towards her back "…so you'll be the first to go, Hirviendo!"

Just before Hiyori was engulfed in boiling water she was pulled out of the way as Toushirou grabbed her while using a Shunpo to save her from the attack.

"What do you think you're doing you shrimp?!" Hiyori asked angrily "for the record I have no interest in a midget…" 

"Shut up and take a look" Toushirou commanded calmly as he let the small Vizard go, Hiyori gazed in shock at the sheer amount of steam rising from where she **would** have been standing had he not pulled her away "if that had hit you, it would have boiled your organs like a lobster."

Harribel only looked at them coldly as Lisa appeared behind her and attempted to swing the bladed end of her spear down on the Espada. Harribel held up Tiburon horizontally to block the blade, after deflecting the initial attack she thrust her weapon towards Lisa forcing her to leap back to avoid becoming being squired preventing her from performing a follow up attack "La Gota" Harribel said coldly sending a dense blast of water in the shape of a shark's tooth towards the Vizard.

"_Damn it"_ Lisa swore in her mind just before an ice dragon struck the attack, though it didn't completely freeze it over, it did slow it down enough for Lisa to avoid it "Thanks" Lisa said gratefully as she stood next to Toushirou and Hiyori "tell me have I gone crazy or has she suddenly gotten a lot tougher?"

"She was playing it more conservatively to analyze your fighting styles" Toushirou explained as he locked gazes with Harribel before asking "do either of your Zanpakutou have special or kidou abilities and have either of you achieved Bankai?"

"I'm not telling you anything about us shrimp!!!" Hiyori yelled at the Captain who was actually taller than her.

"The answer is no to both your questions" Lisa informed Toushirou.

"_Damn it"_ Toushirou swore in his mind before sighing and saying "then I suppose I have no choice, I was hoping to save this for Aizen or Gin…" Hiyori and Lisa looked at him intently through their masks "…stand back Lisa, Hiyori" he used a shunpo to get closer to Harribel.

"_How odd"_ Harribel thought "I don't recall the two of them giving you their names Toushirou."

"It's a long story but I met the two of them a long time ago" Toushirou replied "the girl in red is Hiyori Sarugaki; next to Aizen and Gin she is easily the most unpleasant person I have ever met…" Hiyori had to be held back by Lisa as she tried to strike out at the Captain for his comment "…and the other one is named Lisa Yadomaru, quite possibly the biggest pervert in existence."

"_I'm not a pervert, I just have a healthy curiosity"_ Lisa thought somewhat offended by Toushirou's comment.

"But that's a story for another time" Toushirou stated as he placed his left hand over his chest "Seal of the Beast Release!"

"_Now What?!"_ Harribel thought as Toushirou's spiritual pressure suddenly became much stronger, denser, darker, and most surprisingly of all to Harribel familiar; Toushirou placed his left hand over the right side of his face as Harribel pointed her sword towards him and fired yellow cero at him resulting in a large explosion "did I get him?"

"Not even close" Toushirou replied from the smoke, Harribel couldn't help but notice that his spiritual pressure had strengthened yet again and that his voice sounded different from earlier, before the smoke cleared a blue green blast shot towards Harribel which she barely managed to dodge with her sonido.

"_That was!!!" _Harribel thought as the smoke cleared revealing Toushirou standing unharmed by the latest attack; all the remaining shinigami and the Espada turned to him for a moment in utter shock; Gin who was fighting with Shinji grinned while Aizen and Kaname showed no signs of surprise at the latest development. Harribel simply looked at Toushirou to see him wearing a mask with a dragon like jaw protruding from where his mouth was, it also had a pair of snow white horns sticking past his ears, it had turquoise marks running through its eye sockets, and Toushirou's eyes had changed; his irises had turned golden and his sclera turned black _"it's just like that boy who fought Grimmjow in Las Noches and these people!!!"_

"You dodged my cero" Toushirou stated "you continue to impress" he disappeared with a shunpo and locked blades with Harribel.

"What are you exactly?!" Harribel asked as she had to brace her weapon with both hands due to Toushirou's increased strength "why did your spiritual pressure suddenly become just like mine?!" 

"You Arrancar are hollows who have obtained the powers of shinigami" Toushirou began as he forced Harribel back "well we're the opposite, we're shinigami who have obtained the powers of hollows, Vizards!"

"_Shinigami who have obtained the powers of hollows?!" _Harribel thought she fired a blast of water towards Toushirou which he dodged before throwing his crescent blade towards her which she dodged at the last moment "so you're a hybrid like me?" she asked as Toushirou attempted to slice her with his sword but missed _"so this is why I felt like I was watching a fight between two Espada in Hueco Mundo and why I feel like __**I'm **__fighting another Espada."_

"We're practically cousins" Toushirou stated as he sent an ice dragon racing towards the Espada who dodged before firing several water bullets which he dodged as well.

"How'd this happen to you?" Harribel inquired.

"Forty years ago I was sent out on a mission to this very town" Toushirou began "during that mission my senses were suddenly nullified before I fell to a slash across my back and I began hearing a very violent and aggressive voice which sought to devour my soul and take over my body…" he and Harribel locked eyes in a very serious expression "…it was my **inner hollow**" Toushirou sent an ice dragon towards Harribel which she intercepted with some water bullets "I fought back against it and eventually won, and when I woke up I met…"

*With Yamamoto*

"… Shinji Hirako" Yamamoto stated in realization as he looked towards the blonde Vizard who was fighting against Gin.

"So ya saved da boy did ya?" Gin asked as he and Shinji locked blades _"I knew you would."_

"Yah, he didn't want to stay with us though" Shinji replied with a grin "he said he had his reasons for going back to you so he used a seal to hide his new hollow powers; we were hoping that he'd cause trouble for you and Aizen but it looks like it didn't work out. But he did become a Captain so something must have gone right for him."

"_Words cannot express my gratitude" _Gin thought.

"Forty years ago and his senses were nullified?" Sajin noted as he and Shuuhei traded blows with Kaname.

"Captain Tousen, you didn't" Shuuhei said in disbelief.

"I did" Kaname answered "it was for the cause of justice."

"How far have you fallen Kaname?" Sajin asked.

"It's you who has fallen Sajin" Kaname replied "and Toushirou Hitsugaya wasn't the only one I slashed that night…" Sajin's eyes opened in sudden realization as the two former friends parted away from one another.

"Captain Dark-Heart" Sajin said weakly.

*Nearby*

"I never imagined that she would be able to crack the gates of the four beasts" Hachigen stated in amazement as he dispersed his kidou, he turned towards Soi Fon and Oomaeda before asking "is she alright?"

"Of course she isn't you dumbass!!!" Oomaeda yelled "this is serious what if she dies?!"

"I can normally only use Jakuho Raikoben once every three days, and here I've used it twice in one day" Soi Fon chuckled before turning towards Hachigen "you better keep your promise."

"Of course" Hachigen assured her.

"I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU INSECTS!!!" Baraggan shouted as he fired a large Respira towards Soi Fon and Oomaeda.

"_Impossible!!!"_ Soi Fon thought in disbelief just before she was shoved out of the way by Oomaeda who was almost immediately engulfed "Oomaeda!!!" she yelled as she turned towards the clearing smoke as Baraggan emerged with the top left half of his skull missing "is he indestructible?" a second respira shot towards Hachigen hitting him in the right arm "Hachigen!!!"

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE FACING?!" Baraggan shouted "I AM THE GREAT EMPEROR BARAGGAN LUISENBARN, THE GOD OF HUECO MUNDO!!!" he fired a virtual sea of respira towards both the Captain of Squad Two and the former Lieutenant of the Kidou Corps "NOW DIE!!!"

"Hadou 58: Tenran" a familiar voice chanted as a large cyclone blew past Soi Fon and Hachigen blowing the respira away before Alexander appeared between Baraggan and Soi Fon "Sorry I'm late, I should've stepped in before you lost your arm Captain Soi Fon, I'm sorry about Oomaeda…" Soi Fon gave no reply as he walked towards them and drew Kokuhyou "…I'm sorry Hachi, but I have no choice…" Hachigen braced himself for the pain as Alexander severed his right arm from his body "…hopefully that Orihime girl can restore your arm."

"Who the hell are you?!" Baraggan asked enraged "and how did you do that?!"

"Captain of Squad Five Alexander Dark-Heart" Alexander introduced himself "as for your attack that was easy; your attack is a gas that can't be blocked with normal kidou barriers since it would age them away, so I simply used a wind type kidou to blow it away before it hit my comrades. A **simple** solution to a complicated problem" Baraggan was angry at the Captain's audacity _"Toushirou's already let the cat out of the bag so I guess there's no point in hiding it"_ he placed his left hand over his chest "Seal of the Beast Release!"

"So are you going to try to play hollow with me as well?!" Baraggan inquired with a hint of amusement.

"Please that would be a waste given the shape you're in and the fact that I have your powers all figured out; if I'm feeling generous I'll show you my Hollowification as I finish you off" Alexander replied as he unsheathed Nehan which seemed to infuriate Baraggan "Bankai: Hakumeitenshi Kokuhyou and Nehan!"

"So I get to see another Bankai" Baraggan noted as Alexander flew a short distance away from Soi Fon and Hachigen.

"I call upon the illuminating darkness and sight robbing light" Alexander began chanting "my right arm is the Vanity which robs the King and my left arm is the Humility which enriches the Peasant…"

"_An incantation…no matter…"_ Baraggan thought as he turned his focus back to Soi Fon and Hachigen _"I'd best kill his friends so they won't get in the way!"_ he fired another large respira towards them which they were unable to dodge due to exhaustion.

"…Hakumeihouyou (Twilight Embrace)" Alexander finished surrounding Soi Fon and Hachigen in a silver spherical barrier.

"You think you can protect them with a barrier" Baraggan burst out laughing as the respira struck the sphere "and you even admitted that kidou barriers were useless just a minute ago" he continued to laugh hysterically when the gas cleared revealing that the barrier was unharmed "what?!"

"I said **normal** kidou barriers" Alexander replied smugly "I don't know if you realize this but your respira has a charge to it similar to the positive and negative ends of a magnet; when it comes to magnets a key concept to understand is that while opposites attract" he looked at Baraggan with a smirk "identical ends reflect each other. This shield is able to replicate those charges, so let's say your attack has a positive charge, then so does my barrier, and the same would go for a negative charged attack" Baraggan was shaking with rage at Alexander's words "even your power can't age something if it can't touch it."

"Damn you" Baraggan swore as he sent a trail of respira towards Alexander using his left hand to guide it, Alexander began to fly around at full speed just barely managing to stay ahead of it "it's a shame that large sword of yours is no good against me Angel Boy!!!"

"You have a point there" Alexander admitted with a grin before he began chanting "I call upon every shadow of every pure soul and the light of every corrupted soul" the gas got even closer to him "my right arm is the Envy which consumes the hearts of the haves and my left arm is the Gratitude of the have nots…." The gas prepared to snag his legs "…Hakumeiminzoku (Twilight Race)" his sword burst into several dozen silver orbs before flying towards his back and taking the shape of a smaller pair of wings just below his normal ones; just as the respira was about to claim his legs Alexander suddenly disappeared leaving only a silver trail of light.

"What the hell?!" Baraggan asked in shock.

"The last spell you saw creates a potent shield" Alexander began as he flew around Baraggan so fast he left over half a dozen after-images "this one sacrifices my sword but the wings I gain in return make me three times faster" Baraggan launched several respira towards him at full speed to no avail "it's nowhere near fast enough."

"_In that case, I'll just have to surround you!!!"_ Baraggan decided as he pulled out both hands and began using them to direct his respira _"using both hands my respira is five times faster!!! There's nothing that can escape me…"_ Alexander was flying backwards with a trail of Respira following him closely _"…nothing!!!"_ he gave it one final acceleration with a swing of his right hand.

Alexander smirked as he swung his right hand vertically, Baraggan watched in surprise as scythe appeared in a flash of black energy before a rift appeared between him and the Respira. For the first time since the day he met Aizen Baraggan felt fear as the mist disappeared in the rift and shot out from inside his body around his waist towards the ground.

"How?!" Baraggan gasped as the rest of his body began to rot.

"This scythe of mine has the power to create rifts, allowing me to turn my enemy's attacks back on them" Alexander began as his Bankai disappeared along with the shield protecting Hachigen and Soi Fon "my first two techniques were meant to antagonize you so you'd lose your concentration making it easier for me to take you out" he looked at the dying Arrancar coldly "and you fell for it like an angry old man."

"HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!!!" Baraggan shouted "I AM A GOD YOU FLY!!!"

"No" Alexander replied defiantly as he placed his left hand over his face "your just an arrogant old man who's forgotten just how small he really is…" he pointed towards Starrk with his right hand "…I can tell you're nothing in comparison to him…" Baraggan began to boil over with rage "…you became over confident due to the combined powers of the shinigami and the hollow and in your intoxication you confused yourself with a God; the simple fact is your nothing but a crazy sociopath, that's all you are, nothing more and nothing less…" Alexander dawned his mask; it fited his face smorrthly with curved horns on the top and blood red marks on the side giving him the appearance of a devil, his eyes turned black while his pupils changed to a golden yellow color, he pointed his right palm towards Baraggan which was glowing dark red "…farewell Segunda Espada Baraggan Luisenbarn" he fired his cero leaving nothing of the ancient Arrancar.

"You've both become strong" Hachigen chuckled as Alexander flew up to them "are you alright?" he asked when he noticed Alexander's heavy breathing as he removed his mask.

"Normally I can only use two Bankai spells per day" Alexander sighed heavily "if it wasn't for the fact that I've released the hollow portion of my powers I'd be out of this battle, and plus I have to thank you guys for giving me so much data and knocking him down a few pegs; otherwise I'd have lost a limb or two."

"And what of Hitsugaya? Can he handle that female Espada now that he's released his hollow powers?" Soi Fon asked before she winced in pain.

"Take it easy Captain Soi Fon" Alexander said as he tried to help her but she refused, Alexander decided it was futile so he answered her question with "yeah, no contest; in any case the three of us need to rest up…"

*With Toushirou and Harribel*

"Damn" Harribel swore as she and Toushirou clashed again, neither one landing a hit before they spun around to face each other and fired a cero at each other, the two blasts intercepted one another resulting in a large explosion _"this is getting ridiculous"_ when the light cleared she saw Toushirou swinging his crescent blade around, unlike earlier there were disks of ice forming as the blade swung around and around before it raced towards Harribel, Harribel held Tiburon vertically to block the ring which exploded on contact and sprayed her with ice and snow "your shikai wasn't doing this before."

"Remember how I said my powers haven't matured yet?" Toushirou asked and Harribel nodded "I wasn't just referring to the Tenso Jurin; I also meant my shikai and my bankai, and when I use my Hollowification they evolve closer to their completed states" he explained calmly as he turned his gaze on Hyourinmaru before sighing "it's been difficult fighting with incomplete powers; when I first became a Captain my bankai was fifteen percent complete, the bankai you saw earlier was forty percent complete…" he held his sword to his side "…and what I'm about to show you is the power which allowed me to fight as my teacher's equal; this is sixty percent…" Harribel looked at him fiercely "Bankai!!!" he was engulfed in a cyclone of snow.

"_This kid is just one nightmare after another"_ Harribel thought as the cyclone disappeared revealing the young Captain.

The dragon head over his right hand was now better defined and the rest of his arm was encased in tiny scales made of ice giving his arm the appearance of a serpentine dragon on its own. His left arm now had an ice dragon head beginning to form over his hand but it's snout was mushy and its horns were stubby, and the rest of his arm was encased in several ring segments of ice similar to what his right arm had with the Daigurren Hyourinmaru. The talons on his legs now reached all the way down to his feet offering protection for his feet. His body now had ice encasing it like armor from his feet to his knees, there was also ice covering his shoulders half way down his pectoral muscles. His tail was now about ten feet long and now had a much smoother shape to it making it look like a lizard's tail. His wings were about a third longer than they had been previously and appeared to be reinforced towards the bottom where they connected to Toushirou's body. And floating just behind him were five flowers with four petals each.

"Joushou (Ascending) Hyourinmaru" Toushirou said calmly as he placed his hand over his blade which began to emit a white aura "Fuyuishuu" Toushirou chanted sending dozens of ice dragons the size of Toushirou's arms towards Harribel.

Harribel immediately pointed her sword towards them and chanted "Hirviendo!!!" several of the dragons burst into steam.

"That won't be enough" Toushirou stated as the dragons reformed.

"Damn" Harribel swore as the dragons reformed and fired several ice beams at her, while she dodged most of them one struck her left shoulder freezing her arm at the joint, she tried to melt it but it wasn't working.

"Don't bother, this is nothing like the Daigurren; Joushou Hyourinmaru's ice is far denser and the amount of spirit energy it contains is worlds apart from the ice you melted earlier" Toushirou explained as the dragons disappeared "that ice will only melt if I will it…"

"Or if you die" Harribel stated as she pointed Tiburon towards Toushirou "La Gota" she fired a large mass of water condensed into the form of a shark's tooth at the Captain, in less than a moment he disappeared only to reappear to Harribel's right, she fired another one which he also seemed to dodge effortlessly.

"This won't work either" Toushirou assured her as dodged another five shots and appeared right in front of her "I'm a lot faster now too" he pointed his left palm towards her and chanted "Yukihoui (snow siege)" a small twister of snow blew out of Toushirou's left palm towards Harribel who immediately jumped backwards as fast as she could.

"Hirviendo" Harribel commanded as the twister was about to engulf her completely, while she succeeded in avoiding being completely encased in ice, a large amount of snow made contact with her body forming small ice crystals along her body, she now found herself breathing heavily as she eyed her opponent for one of her bangs which had just been frozen over "Cascada!!!" she cried desperately as she swung her sword in a downward spiral in an attempt to crush Toushirou underneath a large lake's worth of water.

"Aisuhananohara (Ice flower field)" Toushirou chanted as he pointed Hyourinmaru towards the upcoming attack, in mere seconds the water froze before shattering into countless tiny fragments of ice which resembled flower petals floating gently towards the ground.

Before a single petal could reach Toushirou, Harribel used a Sonido to appear right in front of the young Captain and thrust Tiburon towards his head. However Toushirou grabbed the end of the Espada's weapon and stopped it in its tracks, Toushirou looked at Harribel coldly through his mask as her weapon began to freeze over, with a single vertical swing of his sword Toushirou cut Harribel's sword in half leaving Harribel looking at him in shock as he tossed the bladed end of her weapon aside and the sky filled with black snow clouds.

Toushirou pointed his left palm towards Harribel before chanting "Aisudoragonyuuhei (Ice Dragon Incarceration)" Harribel found most of her body incased in what appeared to be the mouth of a giant ice dragon's head, only her head and a small portion of her upper body was spared from being frozen over.

"_What' I'm about to show you is sixty percent"_ Toushirou's voice echoed in Harribel's mind.

"_He defeated me so easily with a power that's only sixty percent complete?!"_ Harribel asked herself in disbelief _"this boy…he's just too much."_

"You are no match for me" Toushirou told her coldly as he gently placed his left hand around Harribel's throat and held his blade at the ready with his right "one strike from the Ice Dragon and the Shark freezes with the sea!" one of his five flowers shattered into the air.

"Then just do it" Harribel chocked _"Apache, Mila-Rose, Sun-Sun; I'm sorry…"_ Harribel didn't even notice as a tear rolled down her right eye as she looked into the cold eyes of the Vizard Captain "…kill me!"

Toushirou closed his eyes for a moment before replying "no" and his Bankai disappeared.

"What?!" Harribel asked in disbelief as the ice holding her down and covering her body disappeared leaving the Espada speechless.

"The reason I'm here is to kill Sousuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru" Toushirou stated calmly "you are neither of my targets so I won't take your life" he pushed his mask over to the right side of his head turning his eyes back to their normal turquoise and his voice returned to its normal sound "you're free to go, but do not get in my way."

Author's Notes: and that's 22 chapters down and God only knows how many more to go XD Anyway if you've played the first Assassin's Creed that last little exchange may have rang some bells with you. In any case I've got good news and bad news; the bad news is I may have to put this story on Hiatus if TK doesn't show some freaking Bankais soon, the good news is that I have enough data to at least do Chapter 23 before that happens and if it does I have my House of Winter project as a backup plan until I get to see what TK has to offer.

In any case please leave a review and have a nice day ladies and gentlemen


	23. Awakening

Author's Notes: Okay I have two bits of bad news everyone; first of all classes have officially started up for me again so I can make you absolutely NO promises about how often I'll be able to update this story, for the second piece read my Author's Notes at the end of this chapter.

This chapter contains betrayal, character death, and unpleasant scenes

I do not own Bleach or Devil May Cry

Please read and leave a review

**Ch. 23 Awakening**

"It looks like Captain Hitsugaya's defeated the Espada he was fighting" Youmei sighed in relief as Alexander, Soi Fon, and Hachigen appeared before her "are you all alright?"

"Do I look alright?" Soi Fon hissed.

"I'll live" Hachigen chuckled as Izuru began to treat Soi Fon.

"Hachi, do you need to heal?" Alexander asked.

"I'm alright, I can still help" Hachigen answered "but I don't think I can handle fighting another Espada one on one."

"Given our numbers that shouldn't be a problem" Alexander replied "in any case I have some questions for you, and this time I expect some answers."

*With Toushirou and Harribel*

"What do you mean, I'm free to go?!" Harribel asked dumbfounded at the Captain's words.

"Exactly what I said" Toushirou replied bluntly "you're no longer a threat and I'm not obligated to kill you, so I'm choosing not to…" Toushirou sighed heavily as he began to walk towards Lisa and Hiyori "…a word of warning though…" Harribel broke out of her trance "…I have no idea what Aizen may have offered you in exchange for your help, but whatever it was he won't deliver; and the moment he gets what he's after, the very second he has no further use for you…" Toushirou looked at the Espada darkly "…he'll betray you and the other Arrancar, just like he betrayed us."

"You expect me to listen to the words of a shinigami?!" Harribel asked angrily "don't make me laugh, I've seen how you shinigami look down on us hollows, how you slaughter us like animals!!!"

"Hollows are nothing more than the lost souls of humans who for one reason or another became ravenous monsters in death; incapable of logic or compassion they hunt and devour the souls of humans in order to feed the emptiness within themselves. This is true of all hollows; it was true of you…" Toushirou began bluntly "…just as it was for me."

"For you?!" Harribel replied.

"About a hundred and fifty years ago I was a hollow, a Vasto Lorde code named 'Frozen Devil'; for about ten years I ravaged villages and small towns throughout this world to feed my never ending hunger…" Toushirou explained solemnly "…and I did **not **discriminate, women, children, the living, the dead, it didn't matter to me; I devoured them all, and I left nothing but death and destruction in my wake. It took seven Captains to bring me down, six out of those seven didn't live to tell the tale; as for the seventh, well take a look at the old man…" he gestured towards Yamamoto "…I gave him that scar on his forehead and dozens of others."

"I'm going to kill him!!!" Harribel hissed "he'll pay for what he did to them!!!"

"_As I suspected"_ Toushirou thought "if you can't beat me at my current level, don't even think about it; he's not like me, he **will** kill you?"

"What do you care?" Harribel asked "am I not one of those mindless hollows you spoke so lowly of?!"

"You're not a hollow, you're an Arrancar" Toushirou replied bluntly "and from what I can tell you seem to have plenty of humanity…" Harribel looked at him darkly in response "…and somehow I doubt your subordinates would want you to throw your life away…" she was shocked at his blatant audacity "…decide for yourself if what I just said has any merit or not" he flew off towards Lisa and Hiyori.

"What the hell was that?!" Hiyori yelled in his face as he flew up to them "you didn't finish off the Espada shrimp!!!"

"Shut it Hiyori" Toushirou replied calmly "you're not the boss of me…"

"I can't believe a wimp like you became a Captain!!!" Hiyori exclaimed "seriously did you cheat on the exam or…" she was cut off when Toushirou placed his hand over her mouth and froze it shut.

"That's better" Toushirou sighed as Hiyori tried to break it off but to no avail.

"Did you at least make sure she was no longer a threat?" Lisa asked calmly.

"Look at her, I cut her weapon in two and she expended the vast majority of her spirit energy, she's no threat" Toushirou replied.

"I see" Lisa said calmly as she took a look at Harribel _"that outfit…"_

"More importantly I want you to answer my question from the last time we met" Toushirou demanded coldly.

"I'd be happy to lend you a rare porno anytime" Lisa assured him.

"I NEVER ASKED YOU FOR ANYTHING LIKE THAT!!!" Toushirou yelled in response "what I want to know is just who the hell are you people and where did you come from?!"

"_You asked with your eyes Toushirou, you asked with your eyes"_ Lisa thought as she rolled her eyes at the young Captain "I'm the former Lieutenant of Squad Eight, Hiyori here…" she gestured towards the younger Vizard who was still struggling to free her mouth from the ice "…was the Lieutenant of Squad Twelve; the rest of our group were Captains and Lieutenants as well one hundred and ten years ago, before we became Vizards."

"Let me guess, Aizen had something to do with you guys undergoing Hollowification" Toushirou stated and Lisa nodded "why didn't Shinji warn us before we left?"

"Don't be stupid" Lisa replied bluntly "it would have been foolhardy to tell a couple of hotheads like you guys when there was nothing you could hope to do to stop him…the best he could do was let you go and hope you somehow ended up causing trouble for Aizen along the way."

"_Damn it, it's been forty years and these people still piss me off!!!"_ Toushirou swore in his mind when they felt a powerful spiritual pressure die _"looks like Tia just became the new Primera…"_

*With Harribel*

"_Starrk?!" _Harribel thought in disbelief as she felt the mightiest of the Espada fade away _"these people…they're much stronger than I imagined…to think they would defeat all three of us…"_ suddenly Aizen appeared in front of her; what Harribel found disturbing was despite the situation he still wore a calm smile across his face as if everything was going according to plan "Aizen?!" was all she could say before Aizen sliced her just below her breasts _"What?!"_

"_I have no idea what Aizen may have offered you in exchange for your help, but whatever it was he won't deliver; and the moment he gets what he's after, the very second he has no further use for you…he'll betray you and the other Arrancar, just like he betrayed us" _Toushirou's words echoed through Harribel's mind as blood sprayed from her wound.

"I'm done with you, it would seem that you're not strong enough to fight by my side" Aizen stated calmly.

"_YOU BASTARD!!!"_ Harribel swore in her mind _"Toushirou was telling the truth!!!"_

"I never thought that after all the trouble I went through in gathering you Espada" Aizen continued "that I alone would be stronger than the lot of you."

"AIZEN!!!" Harribel shouted as she wedged her broken Tiburon through Aizen's chest, hatred was burning in the Shark Queen's eyes.

"How troublesome" Aizen sighed shocking Harribel as his blade pierced her below her left shoulder and the Aizen she had run through shattered into nothingness "I will never allow you to raise your sword against me again" with that he sent Harribel plummeting towards the ground as he sheathed his sword and turned towards Toushirou and the others who were all looking at him with a mixture of shock and disgust draped across their faces "it's time to finish this…" he stated as Shinji, Love, Rose, Yamamoto, and Shunsui appeared in front of him "…Thirteen Court Guard Squads and you shoddy Arrancar wannabes."

"Aizen" Hiyori hissed as her mask began to fade away.

"Approach him with caution" Shinji warned "you know Aizen's powers, it'll be all over, if you approach him without caution" Shinji was finally looking at Aizen with the utmost seriousness.

"I already know that!!!" Hiyori declared

"_Don't do anything stupid Hiyori"_ Toushirou thought angrily as he placed his left hand on the side of his mask _"this is bad…I was hoping to use my Hollowification and Joushou Hyourinmaru to take Aizen by surprise!!! But now he's seen them both…Damn It!!!" _

"Idiot, I wasn't talking to you" Shinji replied "relax your grip Hiyori."

"Just as I expected" Aizen began in a condescending tone "such deep words of consideration, Captain Hirako."

"Hiyori!" Shinji hissed at his comrade who was fuming with rage.

"But, saying 'It'll be over if you're not cautious' just sounds ridiculous" Aizen continued with an even more mocking tone "whether you approach with caution or without, or even if you do not approach me at all, the result will be the same. I do not speak of the future, your demise is already inescapable fact of the past…"

"He's trying to provoke us! Don't give him what he wants!" Shinji commanded.

"…What are you afraid of?" Aizen asked "you already died, that night a hundred years ago."

Hiyori had heard enough and the sight of Aizen smirking sent her over the edge, without thinking, without even dawning her mask she charged towards Aizen _"I'm going to cut that God damn head of yours right off!!!"_

"HIYORI!!!" Shinji shouted but it was too late.

Hiyori's eyes opened in shock, she looked to her side to see a familiar pair of legs plummet towards the ground, she looked down to see that an impossibly long blade had severed her from the waist down.

"One down" Gin stated as the blade continued to stretch _"one more to go!"_

"HIYORI!!!" Shinji shouted as he flew towards the girl.

"_Shit, it's heading for Izuru's healing barrier!!!"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as he tried to catch up to the blade but wasn't fast enough _"DAMN IT!!!"_

"I won't let you!!!" Saskibe yelled as he leapt in front of Gin's sword with his released Zanpakutou.

"_What a shame…"_ Gin thought as his blade punctured his Zanpakutou _"…there was no need for you to die as well…" _Saskibe was immediately run through his chest _"…but I can't stop, that person must die or else my plans will be ruined!!!"_

"RANGIKU, MOMO!!!" Toushirou shouted as he got closer to Gin.

"Burn them to a crisp, Akakouhi!!!" Youmei chanted as she slammed the side of Gin's blade with her flaming weapon.

"_Youmei, thank God"_ Toushirou thought in relief.

"_Damn it"_ Gin swore as Toushirou swooped down on him with his mask drawn, Gin dodged with a quick Shunpo as he withdrew Shinsou and Saskibe's body fell to the ground with a loud thud _"I was so close."_

"You're going to pay for that Gin" Toushirou hissed through his mask as he pointed his left middle and index fingers towards Gin and a small blue green orb began to glow at the tip "this for the part you played in hurting Momo and for all the shit you've put Rangiku through!!!"

"_This is real mess"_ Gin sighed as he disappeared with a second shunpo to avoid Toushirou's cero.

"Oi Captain" Youmei declared as she appeared next to him with a shunpo holding Akakouhi over her shoulder "leave the fox to me, Princess and her little crush on that stoic have really been pissing me off lately, and this is a good chance to blow off some steam…" though the mask covered up his face Youmei could tell that Toushirou had an eyebrow raised at her "…don't worry I'll keep him from attacking the injured" she added with a hint of annoyance.

"Don't die Youmei" Toushirou commanded before disappearing with a shunpo.

"_You people don't make things easy"_ Gin sighed as he locked blades with Youmei.

Aizen was looking down towards his former Captain who was holding Hiyori closely to his chest as he looked up towards the man whom he blamed for everything, his grin was now gone and his eyes now had a look of death etched within them.

"I like the look in your eyes, you look like you've finally woke up after a hundred year sleep" Aizen stated "Shinji Hirako" Shinji looked into Hiyori's fading eyes and he gripped her tightly "Do you hate me?" Aizen asked "if you hate me, then come" he gestured towards his Zanpakutou "I will unsheathe my sword especially for you."

"Hachi" Shinji began as Hachigen, Alexander, and Elaina appeared before him "I know you have only one arm, but please take care of Hiyori. At least keep her sake until Ichigo returns."

"Of course" Hachigen replied as he did his best to help Hiyori.

"_Damn it there's nothing I can do to help the kid"_ Elaina swore to herself _"and now we've lost three Lieutenants and now this girl won't last long…damn it!!!"_

"_Is this what you wanted Kaname Tousen, another senseless conflict?"_ Alexander asked himself as he turned towards Kaname who was fighting against Sajin and Shuuhei a few miles away "Let's go Elaina."

"Right" Elaina replied as the two Dark-Hearts disappeared with a shunpo.

"Until Ichigo returns huh?" Aizen said with a hint of amusement "you've really put your faith in that boy."

"I don't expect you to understand" Shinji stated coldly "you don't even trust your own followers" Toushirou appeared closely behind him.

"Trusting someone means relying on them and only the weak do that" Aizen explained "It's not something we need."

"How can you say that with all those followers of yours?" Shinji asked "I'm sure you asked them to trust you."

"No, I never asked them to trust me at all" Aizen answered "I told them to come with me, but I never told them to trust me. And I told them not to trust anyone including myself. But sadly, there aren't many strong enough to do that."

"Bastard" Toushirou hissed in disgust.

"All creatures want to believe in something bigger than themselves, they cannot live without blind obedience" Aizen continued with a smirk as he looked at both Shinji and Toushirou calmly "and to escape the pressure of that trust, those in whom faith is placed in turn look for someone higher than themselves, and then those people in turn look for someone even stronger. That is how all kings are born, that is how…" Aizen now had a dark smile spread across his face "…all Gods are born!!!"

"Toushirou stand back" Shinji commanded as he drew his Zanpakutou "you don't want to get caught in my sword's spell."

"I will take my time and teach you just what God you should worship" Aizen assured him "Shinji Hirako."

*In Hueco Mundo*

"This doesn't look good" Isane stated in concern as she watched Yammy Riyalgo towering over Byakuya, Kenpachi, Ichigo, Rukia, and the others "what should we do Captain?" Isane noticed that Retsu was missing "Captain?!" she then saw Retsu appear in front of Yammy.

"Captain Kuchki, Captain Zaraki, everyone, stand back" Retsu commanded softly shocking everyone around at her sudden appearance "It's time to wrap things up."

"Tch, whatever this guy was getting old fast" Kenpachi said in reply "do what you want."

"Captain, Unohana are you crazy?" Ichigo asked as Byakuya swooped up Rukia and took her to safety "this guy is ridiculously strong there's no way you can…"

"Please stand back Ichigo Kurosaki" Retsu requested even more politely but with an expression so dark it scared the young Vizard into silence before he helped Chad and Renji escape from the rampaging monster.

"You think you can stop me on your own, little girl?" Yammy asked in amusement "let me clarify something for you my Zanpakutou's name is Ira, in other words rage itself is my weapon…" he started charging up a cero with one of his massive hands "…you don't stand a chance!!!" he fired the blast towards the Captain of Squad Four.

"Is this all you have?" Retsu asked as she unsheathed her sword and sliced the cero in two with a single vertical swing using two hands causing the Cero Espada to gasp in shock "I must apologize, this will be far from quick and even farther still from painless" her expression became much more solemn and serious "Bankai!!!"

"What the hell?" Ichigo swore as an unbelievably strong spiritual pressure shot out from the normally quite Captain of Squad Four and she was surrounded in a whirlwind of green energy, he turned towards Hanataro who had finally arrived with Isane following quickly "what is up with your Captain Hanataro?! I've never felt anything like this before!!!"

"I don't know Ichigo, I've never seen Captain Unohana's Bankai before" Hanataro replied as he turned towards Isane.

"This is my first time as well" Isane stated "whenever I asked her about it, she'd just change the subject."

"This day just gets crazier and crazier" Ichigo sighed weakly as the energy cleared revealing Retsu.

She was standing in the middle of a small crater created by her power, she was wearing what appeared to be a light green manta ray over her chest with the longest section in the middle spreading across he shoulders, behind her the ray continued until its tail bent under with a long stinger looping under her right shoulder and attaching itself to her arm and extended several feet pass her hand.

"Retsuhenshu (Violent Mutation) Minazuki" Retsu chanted coldly as she turned her gaze towards Yammy.

"So **that's** your Bankai?!" Yammy asked in amusement "you must be an idiot if you think something that small can beat me" he raised his right fist.

"Poor little fool" Retsu sighed as she leapt into the air and avoided Yammy's fist.

Retsu landed on top of the giant Espada's fist and began to run up his arm taking several swipes at it while she made her way up. Yammy opened his jaw widely and fired a barrage of bala towards the female Captain which she dodged with a couple of well timed shunpo and continued to slash at his arm with her stinger; when she arrived to the top of his shoulder she disappeared with a shunpo and reappeared on the back of his head.

"You damn little fly!!!" Yammy swore as he tried to swat her with her right hand but found he couldn't move it, moments later he felt as if every square inch of it was on fire "What the Hell?!" he asked as he grabbed his shoulder with his other hand, he looked at his arm to notice that dozens of fleshy mounds were growing out from the spots where Retsu had cut him.

Yammy could only watch in horror as the parturitions continued to grow bigger and bigger, while his entire arm continued to shrink, eventually the mounds of flesh exploded and severed the giant's arm from his shoulder.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME, YOU BITCH!!!" Yammy shouted as blood began to spray from his wound.

"My Bankai allows me to control the cellular functions of whatever I cut, in this case I drastically accelerated the reproduction process of the cells in your arm" Retsu began with a very solemn tone "the parturitions that appeared on your arm grew by absorbing the cells the around them, eventually your arm lacked the necessary resources to support its own weight…" Yammy's severed arm began to disappear as the countless festers exploded one after another "…you can see the results..."

"DAMN YOU!!!" Yammy swore as he attempted to swat Retsu with his remaining arm but he was too late.

"…One more thing" Retsu continued as she steadied her stinger "if I dig this stinger into my enemy's head I can control the cellular functions throughout their body…" even Yammy, who lacked any great degree of intelligence could only gasp in fear at the combination of her words the sensation of her stinger piercing the back of his head.

"Please don't" Yammy begged.

"I'm sorry but, I can't allow a mindless killing machine such as yourself to wander free" Retsu replied.

Ichigo, Renji, Hanataro, Isane, Chad, and Rukia watched in horror as large fleshy festers began to appear across Yammy's body; the sound of his painful screams shook them to their cores as they started exploding one by one while Byakuya, Kenpachi, Nemu, and Mayuri at least pretended not to be even the slightest bit disturbed at what they were seeing. Five minutes past and Yammy's entire body began to shrink giving him the appearance of a malnourished giant with exploding boils over his body when he finally fell backwards with an expression of utter pain and anguish draped across his face.

"_That was…the most horrifying thing I have ever seen!!!"_ Ichigo thought as Retsu appeared in front of them with a solemn expression draped across her face.

Retsu noticed the terrified looks half her comrades were showing her "I'm sorry you all had to see that" Retsu stated as her bankai vanished and she re-sheathed Minazuki "I would have preferred not to have used that power…"

"_Note to self __**never**__ piss her off"_ Ichigo thought and he could tell from their expressions that his friends were thinking along the same lines.

"Ichigo, what the hell was that?!" a voice asked from a distance causing the substitute shinigami to look up as Uryuu and Orihime made their way down from the tower where he had fought against Ulquiorra, Ichigo sighed in relief to see his friend was healed and his arm had been restored; they made it to the ground level and took a disgusted look towards Yammy's corpse "what the hell happened to him?"

"You don't want to know" Ichigo assured the Quincy before turning towards Orihime "are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" Orihime answered in relief that everyone was alright.

"Is this everyone?" Retsu asked "we need to get back to the war front."

"Wait a minute, where's Yachiru?" Orihime asked noticing the absence of the pink haired Lieutenant.

"And Nell" Ichigo added as his thoughts turned towards the former Espada "we can't leave her here, its way too dangerous."

"Hey Kenny I found a new friend" a happy voice declared as Yachiru appeared suddenly with her left arm wrapped around Nell's shoulder "I need to think of a nick name."

"Nell" Ichigo sighed in relief as he and Orihime kneeled down to her "are you alright?"

"No fair, how does she know Ichi and Jiggles?" Yachiru inquired.

"Nell are you okay, do you remember what happened?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm okay" Nell replied "and I remember, but I still feel weak."

"Lady Nelliel" another pair of familiar voices yelled in relief.

"Ah great those two idiots" Renji sighed as Pesche and Dondochakka approached them with tears flowing from their eyes "as if we didn't have enough trouble here."

"We were so worried when we sensed you were fighting Lady Nelliel" Pesche stated "please forgive us" they both bowed in respect to their master despite the fact that she was stuck in her child form.

"Nell was fighting?!" Rukia asked in disbelief as she grabbed Ichigo by the ear and pulled him down to her level "you let child fight?! What were you thinking you idiot?!"

"It's not like that" Ichigo replied as he tried to break her grip.

"I'm sorry" Retsu interrupted "but would you kindly explain why you have three Arrancar traveling with you?"

"Oh, that" Rukia replied who now had Ichigo in a headlock with her free arm "where do I begin?"

*Five minutes later*

"I see so this child is the former third Espada" Retsu stated "but she reverted back to a child like state when her mask was cracked, is that right?"

"Yes" Nell answered "if your with Ichigo I'd be glad to help in any way I can but because of my mask I have no idea when I'll be able to return to my true form or for how long I'll be able to remain in it once I do."

Retsu put her hand over Nell's face to observe the damage before sighing "I'm sorry but it doesn't look like I can do anything for you…"

"_You have the power to reject an event once it has already happened, you have the power to revoke decisions made by God himself…that is your power"_ Aizen's voice echoed in Orihime's memory.

"Please let me try" Orihime requested as she made her way towards Nell and put her right hand in front of her face "Soten Kisshun" Nell was immediately bathed in orange light.

"Such fascinating powers" Mayuri chuckled.

"Don't even think about it Kurotsuchi" Uryuu warned.

"What are you doing Orihime?" Rukia asked "Captain Unohana just said that healing powers can't help her" she added still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that the little girl her friend found in the dessert was actually a former Espada.

"This isn't a healing power" Orihime stated calmly "my powers allow me to negate existences, what is happening, and what has already happened…" almost everyone gathered seemed shocked at what she was saying "in this case I'm going to negate the injury that cracked Nell's mask…" the scar on Nell's forehead began to fade _"…it's working."_

"Amazing" was all Ichigo could say before he turned towards Retsu "tell me, what will happen if Nell comes with us? Your boss doesn't exactly strike me as a liberal; I don't want him attacking any of my friends."

"If it should come to that I can think of at least four Captains including myself who would take your side in defending her" Retsu stated "while Head Captain Yamamoto isn't a liberal, he's not a fool either; he knows he can't handle all of us" suddenly a small explosion filled the air with smoke before it cleared revealing the former third Espada had returned to her original form and her mask was restored to its former glory.

"Is that alright with you Nell?" Ichigo asked.

"That's fine" Nelliel answered as she stood up now holding her Zanpakutou in its sheathe "Pesche, Dondochakka, prepare to move out."

"Wait just a minute" Uryuu began "how are we going to get back now that Garganta has been closed?!"

"Leave that to me…" Retsu began as she pulled back her left sleeve revealing her hand which had a golden ring with what appeared to be a small black diamond etched into the band "…and my esteemed collegue…"

*Fake Karakura Town*

"It's strange, that half shinigami boy of yours along with two of your fellow Captains possess the same Hollowification powers" Kaname stated after throwing both Sajin and Shuuhei to the ground "so why is the same thing despised in me?"

"They…" Sajin began weakly but was having problems due to the sheer shock from his impact with the street "…Ichigo Kurosaki, Alexander Dark-Heart, and…Toushirou Hitsugaya did not ask for Hollowification" he looked up towards his old friend who had dawned a solid whit mask with a thin line running down the middle along with a pair of white plates over his shoulders "but that's not the case with you!!! You had more than enough strength as a shinigami, and yet you set down this path of your own volition, and that is why you have fallen Kaname!!!"

"Fallen? Why is it falling for a shinigami to become more like a hollow?" Kaname asked calmly "that only makes sense if you have a narrow black and white view of the world."

"That's not what I meant!!!" Sajin yelled "you betrayed your friends, your troops, your allies, all for the sake of this forbidden power!!! THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE FALLEN!!!"

"Sajin…" Kaname began only to be cut off as a chain wrapped around his neck and slammed him into the roof of a nearby sky scraper when the dust cleared he found himself pinned to the ground by his former Lieutenant who had his left hand wrapped around his neck and a scythe in his right hand "…I guess I rushed in too soon, I underestimated you."

"No, I reflexively sidestepped" Shuuhei stated "I always keep my sword out so that I'm able to sidestep at any moment…" his face was covered in sweat and he was breathing heavily, his face contorted in pain as he looked at his former Captain "…Captain Tousen, you taught me this."

_Flashback_

"What is it Shuuhei?" Kaname asked calmly.

"Please Captain Tousen, remove as an officer" Shuuhei begged the blind man.

"Of all the things" Kaname sighed "if you're worried about yesterday's mistake don't be. It happens to everyone at first."

"That's not it" Shuuhei began "it wasn't a mistake or a failure to pay attention, or anything of the sort…I was scared" he was shaking in distress "a long time ago I was attacked in the world of the living, I nearly lost my right eye, and ever since that day, whenever I draw my sword to face an enemy, I always feel like pulling back…" he was fighting back tears as he shook his sword "…Captain Tousen, I'm scared to fight!"

_End Flashback_

"And that's when you told me 'that's exactly why you should be an officer. The most important thing for a soldier to have is not strength, but a fear of battle. When you fear battle, you are able to take up your sword for others who are afraid. Remember he who does not fear his own sword is not worthy to hold it. Shuuhei if you truly fear battle with all your heart, then as a soldier you already have something irreplaceable' those were your words" Shuuhei reminded Kaname through gritted teeth "I…I don't understand Captain Tousen, how could you say all those things to me, and then throw it all away for power?!" he asked as his breathing deepened and he tightened his grip on both his scythe and Kaname's neck before shouting "TELL ME WHAT DO YOU FEAR NOW?!"

Kaname stabbed Shuuhei through his abdomen before kicking him off the building "I am afraid. Then and now my fear has always been that I would die a shinigami like you."

"Bankai!!!" Sajin chanted causing a large armored knight appeared behind him "Kokujoutengenmyouou!!!"

"Fool" Kaname stated as he took his stance "you see how powerful I am and yet you think you defeat me."

"KANAME!!!" Sajin shouted as his friend charged towards his Bankai.

Kaname clashed with Sajin's bankai for several minutes, their fight leveled several city blocks. Both Kaname and Sajin took damage over the course of the conflict, but unfortunately Kaname recovered quickly since his injuries disappeared almost as soon as he suffered them.

"_High speed regeneration"_ Sajin thought "you really have given up on being a shinigami haven't you?"

"Under these circumstances, that sounds like nothing but sour grapes" Kaname stated "you said I had fallen because I betrayed my friends and followers for the sake of power. But let me ask you…" he looked down upon Sajin darkly "…if one has joined an organization for the sake of revenge, would it not be falling to forget one's goal and instead live a peaceful life within said organization?" a horizontal crack began to appear across the face of his mask "I may not be able to see, but to me that looks like a much greater fall."

"Kaname, the reason you became a shinigami…" Sajin began.

"For Revenge!!!" Kaname declared "did you never wander why I joined the same organization as the person who killed my dearest friend?!"

"I thought it was for justice…" Sajin answered "…I believed in you when you said you wanted justice for your lost friend."

"Exactly, for justice" Kaname replied.

"Then…" Sajin began

"…WHAT IS JUSTICE?!" Kaname shouted as the mouth of his mask opened widely "is forgiving my friends murderer a good thing? It is a beautiful thing, there's no doubt about that…" a black aura began to surround Kaname's body "…but is what is good the same as what is just?" he looked down on Sajin, his mouth was now fully opened giving his mask a disturbing appearance "No!!! Living peacefully without avenging the dead…" his actual mouth appeared through the opening "…THAT IS EVIL!!!"

"I see" Sajin stated calmly as he took his stance "it would seem I misjudged you" he looked at his friend solemnly "if that is how you truly feel then I suppose it's simply fate that we must cross blades."

"Does that mean you can kill me now?" Kaname asked "is that your justice? Don't make me laugh."

"Yes it is justice, I must kill you for the sake of the Soul Society" Sajin answered "I don't want to, but hearing your words is enough for me…" he had to fight back his tears as he said "…in my heart I have already forgiven you."

"In your heart you've already forgiven me?!" Kaname replied "don't pretend to be God Sajin!!! If you want to kill me, then kill me!!! That is if you still can…" he held Suzumushi in front of him "…once you've seen my resurrección!!!" Sajin was shocked at what he was hearing before Kaname chanted "Suzumushi Hyakushiki Grillar Grillo!"

"_No Kaname…"_ Sajin thought sadly as his friends body was surrounded in a foul black energy changing him from a man into a giant insect like monster with horn like appendages growing from his shoulders and a large hole in his chest.

Kaname proceeded to open his eyes which had now become more bug like as well, he started laughing maniacally before declaring "I can see!!!" he turned his gaze on Sajin "I can see you Sajin!" he grinned as he looked into the air "so this is the sky!!" he looked down on Shuuhei who was lying on the ground bleeding "this blood!!" he then looked at the fake Karakura Town "and this is the world!!" he turned his gaze back on Sajin "so this is what you look like, Sajin you are even uglier than I expected!!!"

"_Kaname, back then when you said you became a shinigami to protect the world your friend loved I sensed an element of untruthfulness in your words"_ Sajin thought as Kaname charged towards him _"you always talked about the world __**she**__ loved but you never once talked about the world __**you**__ love…"_ Kaname tried to run Sajin through but he jumped back in time escaping with just a cut on his right shoulder _"…indeed I could tell that deep down you truly despised the world; it was easy to understand why, it was natural for anyone who had the person who was most important stolen from them to feel that way…" _he dug in with his left foot to stop to regain his footing _"…which is why I was grateful that you did not pretend to be a Saint and claim to love the world despite everything…"_ he raised his head with his fangs bared _"…which is why I decided that I would become your friend. I would accept your sorrow and share my joy, if you strayed I would reprimand you and if you made a mistake I would forgive you, and if you found yourself in trouble I would be there for you"_ Sajin swung his sword and his massive Bankai did the same _"so that you, who came to hate the world could learn to love it once more…"_

Kaname blocked the giant's sword with one hand and threw it upwards before performing a circular motion with both arms and chanting "Los Nueve Aspectos" a large sonic blast dug into the chest of Sajin's Bankai and knocked it to the ground along with its owner, moments later the dust cleared revealing Kaname with one of his horns buried in Sajin's chest "it's over Sajin, I'm afraid Justice is something that cannot be expressed with words alone…" he began to charge up a cero blast over each eye "…good bye Sajin."

"_I'm sorry Tetsuzaimon…"_ Sajin thought as an image of his Lieutenant being slayed by the monster Allon flashed through his mind _"…I'm sorry Shuuhei…"_ he thought of the Ninth Squad's Lieutenant who he had come to respect sense Kaname's departure _"…I'm sorry Captain Dark-Heart…"_ he remembered the new Captain who shared his wish to save Kaname whom he came to admire for his strength and will _"…and I'm sorry Kaname…"_ he looked at his old friend for the last time as his vision began to blacken from the loss of blood _"…in the end I failed to save you."_

"Hadou 88: Hiryugekizokushintenraiho" a familiar voice chanted.

Kaname dispersed his ceros and flew back just in time to avoid being obliterated by two spiraling blast of electricity but the horn he had run Sajin through with was blown off. Kaname looked towards the source to see a male shinigami wearing a sleeveless haori with blood red eyes which had slits for irises and black marks spread across his body.

"Alexander Dark-Heart" Kaname stated acknowledging his former subordinate as his horn began to regenerate "you truly are a demon in combat" he chuckled "but you're too late, Sajin is already dead."

"Bastard" Alexander hissed.

"Do you hate me?" Kaname asked with a smirk "then come at me if you think you can win."

Kaname suddenly opened his eyes in shock as yet another familiar presence appeared behind him "SNAP HIS NECK ONITSUME!!!" she shouted before her sword liquefied around her right arm giving it a demonic appearance as she performed a right hook slamming her fist into Kaname's head causing him to lose half his altitude as she performed a back flip and stood next to her father.

"Elaina Dark-Heart" Kaname began as he looked at the dark skinned fourth seat of Squad Ten and chuckling "it's easy to tell that you two aren't really related."

"Keep talking" Elaina replied before being stopped by her father's hand on her shoulder.

"Stay focused" Alexander instructed when he suddenly felt a familiar sensation in his head; it was as if someone far away was calling out to him _"damn it, of all the timing!!!"_

"_So they're finally ready"_ Elaina thought noting Alexander's expression "leave this to me, please get our friends back dad."

"Elaina" Alexander replied.

"Trust me, I'm your daughter" Elaina said with a smirk "I'll be fine."

"Be careful" Alexander begged before disappearing with a shunpo and reappearing a few miles away where there was no fighting going on _"this is as good a place as any I suppose"_ he placed his left hand over his face before dawning his mask _"let's get you home, Retsu!!!"_

*Back with Elaina and Kaname*

"You think you can beat me little girl?" Kaname asked in amusement as Elaina's spiritual pressure began to intensify "surely you see the power I've obtained."

"I have" Elaina stated calmly "the thing is, stopping power crazed lunatics like you is in a Dark-Heart's job description" she eyed him coldly "once you put aside my father's history with you and your motives the cold hard fact remains that someone has to stop you…" her eyes began to glow "…though I take no enjoyment in this; Bankai…" Elaina was immediately engulfed in black spirit energy which took the shape of a heart before she emerged moments later; her right arm remained the same as it had been before except there was a large spike sticking out from the back of her shoulder, her left arm now mirrored her right arm's appearance and were connected to each other through a small armored plate which covered her shoulders and her neck, and her legs were also covered in dark red scales up to her knee caps with spike sticking out from the side and their joints were glowing dark blue "…Kurohenkan (Dark Transformation) Onitsume!!!"

"So you managed to achieve Bankai" Kaname chuckled "I hope you fair better than Sajin!!!" he fired a pair of ceros towards Elaina.

Elaina dodged the blasts by ascending into the air with a shunpo; she punched towards Kaname with her left hand sending an energy copy of her hand towards the former Captain and grabbed latched onto his face before pulling backwards dragging him closer to her and Kaname positioned both his arms in an attempt to puncture Elaina's torso. Elaina performed a back flip to avoid being killed by Kaname's attack and as she finished the flip she performed a double axe kick on top of Kaname's head sending him crashing into the ground. Kaname fired another cero towards Elaina as his head regenerated, Elaina shielded herself with both arms just before the blast struck her resulting in a huge explosion, moments later Elaina emerged from the smoke with several small burns across her body but was otherwise unharmed.

"You're strong" Kaname stated as he flew towards Elaina at full speed "but tell me do you think that makes you just?!"

"No" Elaina answered as she sidestepped to avoid one of Kaname's horns "I simply don't believe that my existence is as burdensome upon the world as yours is" she jabbed Kaname right in the face forcing him several dozen yards back.

"How arrogant of you" Kaname replied "you think that you have all the answers."

"Of course I don't" Elaina stated defiantly "but I do know that what you're doing is wrong; are you really so selfish to think that your revenge merits taking the lives of the thousands of people who live here in Karakura town?!"

"It is the cost of justice" Kaname declared "my friend was murdered in cold blood by her husband and the Central Forty Six refused to punish him!!!" he fired another cero towards Elaina "THAT IS WHY THE SHINIGAMI MUST DIE!!!"

"YOU JUST DON'T GET IT DO YOU?!" Elaina shouted as she dodged the blast with a shunpo and slammed her right hand into Kaname's head sending back about twenty yards, she clenched both her fists tightly as she followed after him before releasing a volley of punches "what your calling for is nothing more than another form of ethnic cleansing!!!" she kicked Kaname in the chin with her right foot "it will not bring peace!!!" she hit him in the face with a left hook causing him to crash into the ground with Elaina on his tail "AND IT WON'T BRING JUSTICE!!!" she slammed her right fist on top of Kaname's head slamming his head even deeper into the concrete; she grabbed Kaname by the face with her fists before asking "is that what you wanted to bring?! Answer me Kaname Tousen!!!"

Kaname opened his eyes as he looked towards Elaina before chanting "Bankai Suzumushi Tsuishiki Enma Koorogi" the two were immediately surrounded in a black sphere, Elaina loosened her grip in surprise as Kaname flew back "let's see how long you hold up deprived of light and sound" he hissed as his wounds began to regenerate slowly.

"_Damn I was careless"_ Elaina swore in her mind as she stumbled around not able to see or hear anything _"is this end?!"_ she closed her eyes as she remembered her adoptive mother Esther _"I was too weak to protect her from Hitler!!!"_ she remembered her adoptive grandmother Dorothy whom she only got to meet briefly once _"I was denied the opportunity to ever know her because Maximilian killed her!!!" _black energy began to gather around her as she thought of Toushirou, Rangiku, Youmei, Retsu, and her father _"and unless we win, they'll be taken from me as well…" _tears began to fall from the young woman's eyes as the dark energy began to embrace her body.

"What…what the hell is this?!" Kaname asked as he watched his opponent appeared to be smothered by the darkness _"she's only a shinigami and she's already released her bankai. So why, why is her power still increasing?!"_

"…_I…"_ Elaina thought as her spirit energy intensified _"…I won't allow it!!!" _she opened her eyes which had now turned blood red and her irises had turned to slits, and though she couldn't see it her skin was now covered in jet black marks which matched her hair.

"_I can't afford to stand around and wait for my wounds to heal!!!"_ Kaname thought in alarm as Elaina's spiritual pressure intensified _"I have to destroy her now!!!"_ he flew towards her from behind intending to run her through her back with his right arm "blind is all you've ever been Elaina Dark-Heart, all you will ever be…" his hand tore into the back of her kimono but it was quickly stopped when Elaina gripped it tightly with her left hand stopping Kaname in his tracks leaving him utterly speechless.

"My soul sees for me Kaname Tousen" Elaina stated as she turned to face him while maintaining her grip over his wrist, Kaname gasped in surprise as he found himself looking into a pair of demonic eyes "it bends the darkness to my command!!!"

"Impossible" Kaname said in disbelief as Elaina punched him in the face with her right arm sending him flying back over a hundred yards and his bankai disappeared.

"_You can change Elaina, I couldn't so you'll have to do it for me"_ Esther's voice echoed in Elaina's memory.

"_That's right…"_ Elaina thought as she locked her gaze on Kaname _"…if we want to change how our society runs we must always be willing change ourselves!"_

"Who…who are you?!" Kaname asked in disbelief as the black energy surrounding Elaina was absorbed into her body.

"My name is Elaina Dark-Heart, the only child of Alexander and Esther Dark-Heart" Elaina declared as she began to walk slowly towards her opponent "I'm a shinigami of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and…" her eyes began to glow dark red as a grin spread across her face showcasing her teeth which have turned into fangs "…I am a warlock!!!" she disappeared in a flash of black energy.

"That wasn't a shunpo!" Kaname stated as she reappeared on top of him "this is…teleportation?"

"My first one too, not too bad am I?" Elaina asked smugly as she locked her left arm around one of his horns "it's time to end this, I'm sorry…" black energy began to shoot out from the spike behind her left shoulder and the spikes on her legs while her right arm was surrounded in the same black energy before she calmly chanted "…Oninakigoe (Demon Roar)!!!" she slammed her right hand into the top of Kaname's skull, almost instantly Kaname crashed into the ground; from a distance it looked as if a copy of Onitsume's materialized form the size of a skyscraper made of black energy had struck the former Captain after Kaname crashed in vanished and Elaina's Bankai disappeared and she was breathing heavily from all the energy it drained "and that's how the Dark-Hearts operate" she sighed heavily as she descended towards the ground where she saw Shuuhei standing over his former Captain who had reverted back to his human form.

*Back in Hueco Mundo*

Retsu was surrounded in a whirlpool of black energy as her colleagues and Ichigo's group watched from a distance in a combination of fear and curiosity.

"_This spirit energy if darker than anything I have ever felt before…"_ Retsu thought _"…but I'm not afraid. I believe in you and our promise, Alex." _

_Flashback_

"It's lovely, not to mention unique; I can tell you put a lot of work into making this" Retsu stated as she looked at the ring Alexander gave her from underneath the sheets with hair down "tell me, does this ring have something to do with my mission tomorrow?"

"It does" Alexander answered bare chested from the foot of the bed "the black diamonds in the middle of the band is actually a Dark Soul Gem, it's literally a piece of my soul" Retsu smiled in response "as a result I can sense it's presence when it's nearby; now if a powerful being like say a Captain class were to focus his or her energy into the ring the range in which I would be able to sense its presence would be greatly extended. With enough power behind it I could sense it across it from across continents or even across dimensions."

"You want me to use this to signal you if the Garganta closes behind us" Retsu stated.

"Right, if I can sense that crystal, I can establish a connection to open a rift to get you and the others back using my powers as a Warlock" Alexander replied.

Retsu chuckled as she sat up "you are a clever one."

"Please promise me Retsu" Alexander half begged "that no matter what happens in Hueco Mundo, you'll come back; I don't want to lose you or anyone else to Aizen."

"I promise" Retsu replied "now do you promise to stay alive so I'll have someone to return to?"

"Of course" Alexander said with a smile as he kissed Retsu on the lips.

_End Flashback_

"_We promised to survive and reunite"_ Retsu thought _"and it's a promise we intend to keep!!!"_

Some of the energy surrounding her began to rise in front of her and began to take an oval shape. Moments later black bolts of energy shot out from the center of the oval, Retsu smiled as a set of claws emerged from the center and began to force a portal open, minutes later Retsu saw Alexander's face as the portal opened and stabilized.

"Good to see you Alex" Retsu chuckled though "did you really need you mask for this?"

"Less talking, more getting your asses through the portal please" Alexander requested before the right half of his mask shattered "now!!!"

"Come along everyone" Retsu commanded as she leapt through the portal followed by several other shinigami.

"Wait aren't you guys coming?" Ichigo asked Mayuri and Nemu.

"I've figured out how to use a Garganta, I'll return after I'm done dissecting all the corpses here in Hueco Mundo" Mayuri replied dully though his face was glowing with excitement.

"Master Mayuri" Nemu began "if I may, I'd like to return to the world of the living now" she requested as she watched Uryuu jump through the doorway.

"Do whatever you want" Mayuri responded "more fun for me…"

"_This guy's nuts"_ Ichigo thought in disbelief _"I'm getting the hell out of here"_ he leapt through the portal to find himself standing in the middle of a street which he recognized as a copy of downtown, Ichigo looked into the air to see Aizen fighting against Shinji "what the hell are they doing here?"

"Aizen betrayed them a long time ago" Alexander answered as Retsu helped him up, his breathing had become incredibly heavy and with the exception of the fragment covering his left eye, his mask had shattered "they're here for revenge; they said that while they weren't with us they're against Aizen, and they're with you Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Captain Dark-Heart, is that a Hollowification?" Rukia asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I'll tell you all the story behind it later" Alexander answered before turning back to Ichigo "it's my understanding that you haven't seen Aizen's shikai, am I correct?" Ichigo nodded "then please, go and do what you can; Shinji's lost the upper hand."

"Right" Ichigo replied before flying towards Aizen at full speed.

"He doesn't fool around" Alexander chuckled as his mask disappeared quickly, his eyes turned to Nelliel, Pesche, and Dondochakka "I'm guessing there's an amusing story as to why you brought three Arrancar with you."

"Oh um…" Renji began confused as how to explain "…you see…"

"A simple 'yes' will suffice Lieutenant Abarai" Alexander stated "I trust your judgment…"

"What's the situation?" Byakuya asked.

"The Espada are dead and it would seem that Elaina just defeated Kaname Tousen" Alexander answered "Youmei is currently locked in battle with Ichimaru, Captain Ukitake is unconscious due to a chest wound and is being treated by Lieutenant Kira with Captain Hitsugaya's protection. Lieutenants Matsumoto and Hinamori are also out of commission due to injuries and are also receiving treatment, but the worst part is…" his breathing slowed down to a more normal pace "…Lieutenant Iba of Squad Seven, Lieutenant Oomaeda of Squad Two, Lieutenant Choujirou of Squad One, and Captain Komamura of Squad Seven are all dead."

"_Captain Ukitake's been injured?!"_ Rukia thought in alarm.

"_Damn it we've lost three Lieutenants and a Captain already!!!"_ Renji swore in his mind before a loud roar filled the air "damn it what now?"

"It would seem the barrier has weakened in part to Lieutenant Choujirou's death and a large number of hollows are being drawn to this area as a result" Retsu stated before turning to everyone who had accompanied her through Alexander's portal "Isane, Hanataro, and Ms. Inoue, would you kindly assist me in healing the injured?" they nodded not wanting to anger her "and would the rest of you kindly keep the Hollows from making the situation here anymore difficult" they nodded in understanding except for Kenpachi who simply smiled in anticipation as they all charge off in different directions.

*With Elaina and Shuuhei*

The two shinigami were standing over a beaten and bloodied Kaname Tousen as he slowly opened his eyes and looked at the pair.

"Shuuhei…Elaina…" he said weakly.

"Please don't speak Captain Tousen" Shuuhei requested "your Hollowification is keeping you alive…but Elaina here hit you pretty hard."

"_Even after all this…he still calls me 'Captain' Tousen"_ Kaname thought and though he didn't know why he felt a smile creep across his face as he turned towards Elaina "you said that everything I did and was trying to do was wrong…" Elaina turned her gaze on him with a combination of pity resentment showing from her eyes "…please tell me…how did you find me when you were trapped by my Bankai?"

"When my affinity awakened and I became a Warlock, I suddenly felt something foul approaching me from behind thinking something along the lines of 'blind is all you are Elaina Dark-Heart, it's all that you'll ever be' I guess that now you're a hybrid now and not a shinigami, you're very being is more entwined with the Darkness" Elaina began "and as a Warlock I suppose that I followed that Darkness right to you."

"I see…" Kaname sighed as his body began to feel heavier despite the fact that he wasn't even trying to move "during our fight you told me that everything I had done was a mistake and that what I was trying to do was wrong" his breathing became heavier "tell me…what **should** I have done?"

"You should've stopped Aizen the moment you learned of his intentions" Elaina answered solemnly "as a shinigami you were the perfect person to kill him; since you were blind his Kyouka Suigetsu's illusions had no effect on you and since your Bankai nullifies your targets senses and spiritual pressure, it wouldn't have mattered if Aizen is two, three, or even ten times stronger than you…you could have killed him and prevented all this madness from ever occurring in the first place…you had that power Kaname Tousen" she struggled to fight back tears which were threatening to fall at any moment "but instead you allowed Aizen to indoctrinate you with his words and you drowned yourself in your anger and despair…Kaname Tousen, if revenge is truly what you were after then why did you try to destroy Karakura town and why did you plot the destruction of the Seireitei?" Kaname was silent "you took your revenge the moment you annihilated the Central Forty Six, you already accomplished that goal. So why, why did you kill Captain Komamura?!" tears of sadness and anger were now falling from her eyes "and why did you threaten to kill so many more people who did you no harm?! Is that Justice?! IS THAT WHAT YOUR FRIEND WOULD HAVE WANTED?!"

"_I'm going to become a shinigami Kaname"_ his friend's voice echoed in Kaname's mind _"I'll devote my life to protecting the innocents of the Soul Society."_

"_You're asking me for my view regarding revenge?"_ Alexander's voice quickly followed in Kaname's memory _"It's a natural thing to desire when you lose a loved one and if kept in check it can make a great motivator…however. You must keep in mind that revenge won't solve anything and it won't undo what's been done; I killed my father but it did not bring my mother back to life, I killed Hitler and his wife but it did not bring Esther and my unborn child back into my arms. And if you allow your desire for revenge to burn to strongly the inner flame will consume you and destroy you from the inside…"_

A tear fell down Kaname's cheek as he continued to smile and looked up towards Elaina before saying "earlier I said that it couldn't be more obvious that you and your father were not related…" Elaina and Shuuhei looked at him in surprise "…it looks like I couldn't have been more wrong; such anger, such compassion, such sorrow, such resolve…you truly are his daughter, I feel very fortunate to have met you and your father…"

"Captain Tousen" Shuuhei said weakly as he saw his mentor's breath became slower and slower.

"Shuuhei please let me see your face, I want to get a good look while I still can" Kaname begged as he looked upon his former Lieutenant "please don't bear Elaina any ill will, she was right about me…only now can I see, just what a fool I've been…"

"Kaname Tousen" Elaina stated "this friend of yours, you loved her didn't you?"

"Yes…I did, with all my heart" Kaname confessed before asking "is it meaningless for me to apologize?"

"It is never meaningless" Elaina answered.

"I'm so sorry…" Kaname said weakly before his life faded and his body went limp.

"Captain Tousen!!!" Shuuhei cried as tears fell from his eyes.

"May you be reunited with the one you loved in the next life and may we meet again someday as friends" Elaina said respectfully as she reached out to close his eyes "rest in peace Kaname Tou…" she was cut off as Kaname's body suddenly exploded violently and covered both her and Shuuhei in his blood.

"Captain…" Shuuhei said in shock.

Elaina's face contorted in rage as she looked into sky and shouted "AIZEN!!!"

*Nearby*

"_What's going on? Am I alive or dead?"_ Rangiku asked as her vision began to clear, a smile crept across her face as she looked into the eyes of a dear friend of hers "Orihime, your back."

"I'm glad to be back" Orihime stated in relief as the energy around Rangiku vanished "how do you feel?"

"Good as new" Rangiku answered as she looked to her side to see Hachi holding an unconscious but otherwise fine Hiyori "who are you guys?"

"Long story" Hachigen replied pleasantly _"I'm glad she was able to save Hiyori."_

"Hey can you do something about my missing arm?" Soi Fon asked irritably from nearby catching Rangiku's attention as she saw Isane and Hanataro treating Momo, Retsu treating Jyuushiro, and Izuru lying down unconscious due to exhaustion.

"Right, I'm going to try to treat you and Hachi at the same time" Orihime answered as she created another healing barrier covering Soi Fon's left shoulder and Hachigen's right arm, moments later the missing appendages began to apparently grow back _"thank God, it's working."_

"That is an amazing talent Orihime" Toushirou stated from behind Rangiku causing her to jump in surprise "thank you" he said gratefully.

"Captain, don't sneak up on me like that" Rangiku demanded "it's only funny when I mess with you…"

"Tch what a hypocrite" Toushirou replied in annoyance.

Suddenly Rangiku noticed Toushirou's mask resting on the side of his face "so you used your Hollowification?"

"Yeah, the Espada left me with no choice" Toushirou answered "I still understand if you find it fri…"

"Can it" Rangiku commanded as she pulled him up by the front of his kimono and kissed him on the lips "how many freaking times do I have to say it before it sinks in? I'm…not…afraid…of you!"

"Okay you made your point" Toushirou stated in annoyance as he brushed her hand off his robe before saying "I'm glad you're alright" Rangiku smiled sensing she had won as he turned towards Isane and Hanataro "how's Momo?"

"She'll pull through" Isane answered "it shouldn't take too much longer now but at the very least she's out of danger."

"I'm grateful" Toushirou replied as he turned towards Retsu "can I leave the rest to you?"

"Of course" Retsu stated.

"Thank you" Toushirou said gratefully before dawning his mask and chanting "Bankai Joushou Hyourinmaru!!!" he turned to Rangiku "watch my back."

"Of course" Rangiku replied in understanding as they flew towards Aizen _"it's high time for all this madness to end Gin!!!"_

*With Aizen and Ichigo*

"Let me ask you one thing Ryouka Boy" Aizen stated as Ichigo swung at him but missed "Why are you fighting me?" Ichigo turned towards Aizen in shock "Do you hate me for some reason? You shouldn't, I saw Orihime Inoue come through the portal unharmed, and from what I can tell none of your friends have been killed. So can you really hate me?" he looked towards the young boy darkly "it's impossible, you're fighting me out of obligation, not out of hatred. You'll never reach me like that. A battle without hatred is like an eagle without wings, you'll never defeat me like that. All your powerless friends will only drag you down."

"Daigurren Hyourinmaru!!!" Toushirou yelled sending a massive ice dragon towards Aizen which he dodged.

"Toushirou?!" Ichigo asked in disbelief as the tenth squad Captain flew up to him with his improved Bankai which was now down to three and a half flowers.

"Idiot" Toushirou hissed before punching his fellow Vizard with a left hook "he's playing mind games with you!!!" he yelled angrily "pull yourself together and get your mask back on, you're the only one who has never seen his shikai so help us out damn it!!!"

"So that's your improved Bankai" Aizen stated in amusement "the one that allows you to 'fight as your teacher's equal' I believe was your claim" a cero immediately engulfed Aizen's body but it was only an illusion he reappeared a few feet away from the blast before saying "even I have to admit that it's impressive."

"_Aizen, this time I __**will**__ kill you!!!"_ Toushirou thought as his eyes fell on Ichigo for a moment as Rangiku appeared next to him _"no choice"_ he charged towards Aizen.

*Back in the medical area*

"Where…where am I?" Momo asked as she came to her senses to see a familiar face in front of her "Isane?"

"You gave us quite a scare Momo" Isane said in relief as Momo sat up and felt herself up to find her injuries had already healed.

"Thank you" Momo sighed in relief as she looked up to see Toushirou and Aizen crossing blades "is that Toushirou and…Captain Aizen?!"

"Is this your first time seeing a Captain's Bankai Lieutenant Hinamori?" Retsu asked.

"I saw Captain Dark-Heart's but this is my first time seeing one in action" Momo answered as a large amount of ice began to fall towards the ground "I have to stop them!!!" Momo declared as she grabbed Tobiume and flew towards them with a shunpo.

"_Please don't do anything foolish" _Retsu thought.

*With Aizen and Toushirou*

"This bankai is an improvement" Aizen stated as he slashed off Toushirou's right wing with a two handed swing "I even have to use both hands on it."

"Damn you" Toushirou swore as he tried to behead Aizen only for the illusion to crack.

"Unfortunately for you, you still can't beat me since you can't see through the illusions" Aizen added before severing Toushirou's other wing and raising his sword a second time and swinging it vertically with both hands; Toushirou held his sword horizontally to block the attack but the sheer force slammed him into the ground "and it would seem you don't have much time left" the dust cleared revealing Toushirou kneeling on the ground with only one petal remaining behind him "I think it's time to end this" he prepared to finish off Toushirou but a black blade began to quickly approach his face.

"Get the hell away from him" Ichigo warned as he swung his sword forcing Aizen back.

"_I better hypnotize him while I can"_ Aizen decided as he held his sword at the ready "Scatter Kyouka…" before he could finish his sentence a white long sword was being swung horizontally towards his upper chest.

"Can't let you do that Aizen" Alexander stated as the Aizen he tried to slash simply smirked "you're not very original" he swung Kokuhyou horizontally forcing Aizen to block with his katana and for the second time that day Aizen was surprised as his successor turned towards him, on Alexander's forehead were black marks similar to the ones that covered his body in the shape of a third eye which was glowing dark red.

"Fascinating" Aizen stated.

"Damn him" Toushirou swore from the ground as his mask began to chip _"Hyourinmaru I need more power!!!"_

"_Are you sure master?"_ Hyourinmaru asked _"trying to forcefully mature your powers could result in your death…"_

"_If I don't get more power soon, I'll die anyway"_ Toushirou replied.

"_Very well, I'll try…"_ Hyourinmaru said as he attempted to release more of Toushirou hidden potential, Toushirou's body began to glow as his spiritual power began to intensify but suddenly it died down and a black mark in the shape the Lily of the Valley appeared over his face just before his bankai shattered what appeared to be roots then ran from the bottom of the flower on down covering his body over his arteries and veins.

"_What the hell is this?"_ Hyourinmaru and Toushirou asked in disbelief.

"_Well I'll be"_ Aizen thought _"so you did use it Momo, you really are Toushirou."_

"_I knew it"_ Gin thought as he locked blades with Youmei once again

"Toushirou!!!" Ichigo called out in concern as Aizen got in front of him.

"Don't look away kid" Alexander commanded as he blocked Aizen's blade, he looked at Toushirou and gasped "is that?!"

"You're hardly one to talk Alexander" Aizen stated as he put more force on his blade and sent both men hurdling towards the ground "it's over for you three" Aizen declared as he appeared in front of the two Vizards only to be forced back by a single Katana with an unfathomable spiritual pressure behind it "well this is a surprise Head Captain Yamamoto."

"Squad Five Captain Alexander Dark-Heart, Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki" Yamamoto began as he eyed Aizen and like the Captain of Squad Five he too had a black third eye on his forehead glowing red "assist Squad Ten Captain Toushirou Hitsugaya in whatever way you can."

"What's the meaning of this old man?" Toushirou asked as he winced in pain as a large bolt of energy shot out from his body "you're not one to overlook me being a Vizard just because were in the middle of a war!!!" he tried to move but his body seemed to be frozen.

Yamamoto kneeled down to Toushirou and whispered something in his ear causing the young man's eyes to open in shock before he disappeared with a shunpo and reappeared a few yards away from Aizen.

"What the hell is this?" Ichigo asked as Toushirou continued to wince in pain.

"What's happening?!" Rangiku asked in a panicked tone as she arrived next to her Captain.

"Fukahana (Burden Flower)" Alexander answered in disbelief as he observed the mark over Toushirou's face "it's a forbidden kidou that can seal away large portions of a victim's spirit energy and in cases like Toushirou's it would hinder their spiritual development..."

"How long has he had this damn thing?!" Rangiku asked in disbelief.

"Can't say, unlike other kidou spells this one can last forever" Alexander answered.

"Did Aizen do this to him?!" Ichigo inquired.

"No he couldn't have, only a kidou master who was very close to Captain Hitsugaya could hope to get close enough to perform this spell without him noticing…" Alexander replied before he froze silently "…the Lily of Valley is the emblem of the Fifth Squad…"

"Momo!!!" Rangiku stated as she looked up to see Momo appear close to Aizen.

"…there are only two ways to dispel this seal" Alexander began "the first is for the one who cast it to release it, and the second…"

"Is for the one who cast the spell to die" Aizen stated calmly.

"How could you?!" Rangiku asked angrily.

"I was afraid that if Toushirou's powers were to fully mature that he would surpass Captain Aizen" Momo answered weakly "I didn't want Captain Aizen to fade from the limelight because of Toushirou, so that's why after the Ikari incident I…" she shook her head in shame.

"Shut up and release the seal Momo!!!" Rangiku ordered as she gripped her sword "or so help me I'll…"

"Right away" Momo replied as she turned her attention towards Toushirou but froze almost immediately upon seeing his face "…it can't be…" she gasped, not at the pain across Toushirou's face, but at the sight of dragon like mask which was covering it "…is that?!"

"It's a Hollowification Momo" a soft familiar voice informed her.

"Captain Aizen?" Momo asked as she turned to see the soft gentle face of the man she had admired.

"Yes it's me Momo" Aizen answered "I'm sorry you had to learn the truth at a time like this."

"The truth? What do you mean Captain Aizen?" Momo replied.

"The Thirteen Court Guard Squads have been conspiring to obtain the powers of hollows for decades, Toushirou and Alexander were their first successes" Aizen lied "their ultimate goal was to overthrow the Central Forty Six in order to enslave all of the Soul Society to their will."

"Is that why you left?" Momo asked in amazement.

"Yes" Aizen answered deceitfully "you did a good thing Momo; this battle would be so much harder if you hadn't used this spell on Toushirou."

"Then please let me fight with you" Momo begged.

"No" the illusion replied "they won't hesitate to gain up on you, you must flee quickly or they'll kill you to release their worst monstrosity yet!"

"I understand" Momo said in understanding.

"Good girl" Aizen's voice said softly.

Toushirou screamed in agony from another bolt of energy shooting from his body.

"Damn it Momo hurry up!!!" Rangiku swore.

"Please Momo, this pain is unbearable" Toushirou begged.

Momo opened her eyes and looked down on Toushirou, Alexander, Ichigo, and Rangiku coldly "you almost fooled me" she stated shocking the four shinigami "you almost had me convinced that Captain Aizen had betrayed the Soul Society!!!"

"What the hell is she talking about?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

Alexander's eyes darted towards Aizen and noticed a smirk upon his predecessor's face "Aizen must have used an illusion on her!!!"

"To think I believed in you for even a moment, Alexander Dark-Heart" Momo continued as she tore off her lieutenant's badge and tossed to the side "and you Toushirou Hitsugaya!!!"

"MOMO DON'T!!!" Toushirou shouted but it was too late, without so much as a word she fled with a shunpo "Momo…" he said weakly.

The sudden betrayal had been the final straw for Rangiku with a deep loathing draping her expression she turned towards her former Third Seat and asked "if we break this seal, how much stronger will he become?"

"Hard to say" Alexander replied "she said she performed it right after the Ikari incident so it's been retarding his growth for over two decades…it's possible that if we break the seal his bankai will fully develop" he focused on Momo's spirit energy "I'm going after…"

"No I'm going after her" Rangiku stated sternly "I can't let this slide and besides, you and Ichigo can do a better job defending him from Aizen and Gin than I can!"

"Rangiku" Toushirou squeezed through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry Toushirou" Rangiku replied "but one way or another I'm going to break that seal…I understand if you hate me for this."

"_Damn it, what a mess"_ Alexander swore in his mind as Rangiku followed after Momo with her own shunpo and a murderous expression in her eyes, he looked over towards his pupil who now had tears leaking from his mask's eye sockets _"Aizen, you better pray Old Man Yamamoto kills you!!!"_

*With Momo*

"I'm almost towards the barrier" Momo said calmly as she continued to flee.

"Hadou Four: Byakuria!!!" Rangiku chanted forcing Momo to stop in her tracks to avoid being struck by a bolt of white Lightening "this is your last warning Momo, release the seal or die!!!"

"Snap Tobiume" Momo chanted as her sword transformed.

"Growl Haineko!!!" Rangiku replied

*With Yamamoto and Aizen*

Aizen dodged another one of the ancient Captain's horizontal sword swipes and flew back a few dozen yards to create some distance.

"All things in the universe turn to ashes, Ryuujin Jakka!!!" Yamamoto chanted sending a sea of flames towards Aizen who only smirked in response.

*With Gin and Youmei*

"_This isn't good"_ Gin thought as he forced Youmei back with another swing _"I have to hurry!!!"_ the split personality charged towards him again with her flaming sword intent on cutting him up and roasting him like a cut of meat.

Author's Notes: And that's chapter 23 boys and girls hope I built up enough suspense for upcoming chapters (whenever I'm able to upload again). Next chapter will feature three fights; Rangiku vs Momo, Aizen vs Yamamoto, and Gin vs Youmei. I'll also explain what is up with the third eye that appeared on Alexander and Yamamoto's forehead. All that and more coming up in chapter 24. Anyway I have a second piece of bad news apart from classes starting up that I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter; I cannot for the life of me think of a Bankai that would fit Gin's character so until TK reveals what Gin's Bankai is I'm going to have to put this story on Hiatus. The good news is that once I have that information I'll be able to write at least two if not three chapters.

Retsu Unohana's Bankai concept and design was adapted/modifyed from my 'Hacked  
bankai 4' design which you can find here on my deviantart page :  
http://cadaverine-xtreme./art/Bleach-Hacked-bankai-4-145968055  
or by performing an internet search on either 'cadaverine-xtreme' or 'hacked  
bankai 4'

In any case please leave a review and take care of yourselves

If you're interested the results from my should Momo Hinamori Live or Die poll were 2 votes for live and 11 for die.


	24. The Blade of Fate

Author's Notes: Sorry this update took so long, had to think up a Bankai for Gin and I was sick as a dog for a week (which was about as much fun as it sounds) Anyway I'm really excited about uploading this chapter because it's a real major turning point, but you'll have to read on to find out why.

I do not own Bleach or Devil May Cry

This chapter contains blood, violence, and character death.

Please Read, Enjoy, and Review

**Ch. 24 The Blade of Fate**

"I must admit I'm surprised to see you coming to the front lines of your own volition" Aizen stated in amusement as he eyed his former commander and the two warriors were surrounded by a hellish inferno "what could have happened to make the stubborn old Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, step in for the sake of protecting a child who nearly killed him in a past life?"

"_When did you throw yourself away?"_ Toushirou's question echoed in Yamamoto's memory.

"_Perhaps I finally managed to remember…"_ Yamamoto thought as he looked down upon the reincarnated Vasto Lorde _"…who I was before I was a stubborn old man…"_

"It doesn't matter" Aizen continued as he appeared next to the ancient Head Captain "this won't take me long" he swung his blade horizontally towards Yamamoto's neck only to have it blocked by his sword.

"You've become far too arrogant for your own good Sousuke Aizen" Yamamoto replied "I may be old, but you won't destroy me without a fight" Aizen disappeared moments before several flames converged on his location.

"_Oh interesting"_ Aizen thought as he looked at the glowing red eye like mark on Yamamoto's forehead which was becoming harder to see due to the red glow from the flames surrounding him _"such fascinating individuals you have under your command…somehow I get the feeling that if it weren't for the shared hatred they have towards me you wouldn't be able to control all of them properly given how rigid and inflexible you are."_

The old man appeared behind the traitorous Captain and gripped his katana with both hands preparing to swing it down on him. Aizen smirked as he dodged with another shunpo to avoid the blade and the flames witch quickly followed.

*On the ground*

"Damn it" Ichigo swore "why aren't we helping out gramps?"

"Please calm down Ichigo and take a look" Alexander instructed as the substitute shinigami raised his head to observe the clash between Aizen and Yamamoto from within the lake of fire "the head Captain's powers aren't like yours or mine…" he pointed out all the unoccupied Captains and Vizards who were watching and waiting impatiently "…his Zanpakutou by nature makes it near impossible for someone to **help** him whenever he's engaged in battle without getting fried in the process."

"I see, but I…" Ichigo replied before another winter blast of air shot out from nearby "Toushirou!!!" he tried to offer help to the young Captain but it was pointless "isn't there anything we can do for him?!"

"Aside from having faith in Rangiku and making sure he doesn't get caught in someone else's cross fire, no" Alexander answered before two familiar shinigami made their presence known "are you alright? Elaina, Lieutenant Hisagi?" he saw that his daughter's skin was covered in the same black marks as his and that her eyes had changed as well _"so you awakened your affinity…"_

"We're fine, but Captain Tousen…" Shuuhei said through gritted teeth as he nearly collapsed only to be stopped by Elaina's support "…he was already dead and yet Aizen!!!"

"Calm down Lieutenant Hisagi" Elaina commanded "if you want to help crush Aizen you need to keep your cool…"

"_You've grown, Elaina"_ Alexander thought.

"Dad, about Kaname Tousen" Elaina continued as she eyed her father with the upmost seriousness "before he died he told me he was sorry…for everything."

"I see…" Alexander replied solemnly "we'll mourn for him and the others later, for now why don't you stitch up Lieutenant Hisagi and help us protect Captain Hitsugaya?"

"What's wrong with him?" Elaina asked when she saw her Captain on all fours in apparent excruciating pain.

"I'll explain…" Alexander began.

"_Rangiku…"_ Toushirou thought through another jolt of agony _"…Momo…"_ unknown to his allies a tear not of physical pain, but of betrayal fell from his eyes.

*With Momo and Rangiku*

"This is your last warning Momo" Rangiku hissed as ash began to swirl around her and she eyed Momo viciously.

"Not going to happen!!" Momo replied as she swung Tobiume and sent a blazing ball of fire towards her former friend and ally.

Rangiku blocked the attack with a wall of ash before sending several small blasts towards the younger girl who dodged them with a couple of well timed shunpo, she turned her head to see the ash trying to surround her, thinking quickly she swung her sword horizontally sending an arc of energy racing towards the ash resulting in an explosion. Momo dodged the resulting smoke and flames with another shunpo and reappeared a few yards away from Rangiku who was eying her coldly.

"That night…" Rangiku began coldly "…the night when you turned your blade against Toushirou…" the ash began to swirl around her more quickly and it began to surge more violently "…I swore that if you ever betrayed him again…" she looked at her former friend with an icy glare befitting a cold blooded killer "…I would kill you myself!!!"

"_So you show your true colors…"_ Momo thought as her breathing intensified and she looked at Rangiku with her wide open and a disturbing smile stretched across her face _"…it's all so clear to me now, you're just like Dark-Heart and Toushirou…"_ she raised her Zanpakutou and pointed it towards Rangiku with her right arm before placing the palm of her left hand over the guard and chanting "…Hadou 73: Soransoukatsui!!!

"_That's!!!"_ Rangiku thought as she dodged an intense blast of blue fire, unlike the Soransoukatsui she had seen Alexander and other kidou users fire it was compressed into a small dense orb which would have blown right through her if she hadn't avoided it at the last second _"her sword…it must somehow amplify her kidou spells, making them faster, and without a doubt…far deadlier than normal…"_

"_I won't lose to you!!!"_ Momo swore to herself as she prepared for another attack _"For Captain Aizen!!!"_

Rangiku dodged several blasts and tried to attack Momo with waves of ash but to no avail, she couldn't hope to contain the destructive force of her Tobiume.

"_By using her Zanpakutou as an amplifier…"_ Rangiku thought as she dodged another several blasts from Momo _"…she's drastically increased her destructive capabilities…with the exception of Renji, she may very well be the Lieutenant with the greatest destructive capabilities…" _another blast came racing towards her which she blocked with a wall of ash, she avoided losing a limb but the force from the explosion scorched her left shoulder _"…I have to close the distance between us or I'm dead!!!"_

"_This is it Rangiku"_ Momo told herself as she prepared for another swing.

Rangiku smirked as she stretched out her arms and her ash quickly spread out and surrounded Momo who closed her eyes and spun around completely causing an explosion which scattered the ash. She opened her eyes un-phased by the latest attempt on her life but quickly took up an expression of shock as all the ash she dispersed began to gather together forming the blade of a katana being swung towards her neck, she leapt back just in time to avoid losing the top of her head but Rangiku's sword cut her across her left cheek.

"I see the point of that attack wasn't to kill me" Momo stated as blood began to pour from the wound "it was to blind me for a moment so you could close the distance and finish me off in one blow…" she looked in Rangiku's eyes coldly "…you spent years playing the joker, but in actuality you're a…" she was cut off when Rangiku appeared behind her and tried to run her through her back; Momo had to use a shunpo to rush foreword in order to dodge Rangiku's sword; though she avoided being killed there was now a hole in the back of her kimono right over her spinal cord _"that was close!!!"_

"I'll admit, I'm no Saint" Rangiku began as a portion of her blade turned to ash and began to swirl around her "I love to drink, I'm far from being the perfect guest, and it'll be a cold day in Hell when you get me to do paperwork…" her voice was calm yet angry and it lacked any signs of her usual humor "…and my life hasn't been a bed of roses either…" she thought back to her childhood which she spent mostly alone "…my parents were no shows…" an image of a young Gin flashed through her eyes "…my first real friend was always toying with my emotions…" memories of the many men who had their eyes on her throughout her academy days and her career as a shinigami, not for her mind or personality, but for her breasts "…and a lot of the men I've met have been scum; but if all that hasn't made me ashamed of who I am, then neither will this…" she locked Momo with a murderous glare "…and neither will you!!!"

"So you've shown your true colors, you're just like the others" Momo declared as she raised her sword and rushed towards Rangiku.

"_I'm sorry Toushirou"_ Rangiku thought as their blades clashed _"but she has to be stopped!!!"_

*Aizen and Yamamoto*

"There's no doubt about it" Aizen stated with a hint of amusement as he unsheathed his sword after another failed attempt to distract Yamamoto with an illusion "that mark on your forehead, it somehow makes my shikai useless against you doesn't it?" Yamamoto looked at him calmly with an expression which neither confirmed nor denied his suspicion "such an interesting turn of events, I suppose my successor has something to do with this…"

"_Dark-Heart…"_ Yamamoto thought as he recalled the last Captain's meeting he had presided over.

*Flashback*

"As you all know, six months ago I was asked to look into a way to see through the illusions produced by Aizen's Kyouka Suigetsu" Alexander began as he stood in front of Yamamoto holding a simple brown sack.

"And?" Yamamoto inquired, though he wouldn't admit it he was curious to hear what the strange new Captain of Squad Five had developed "what did you come up with?"

"These…" Alexander answered as he opened the sack and pulled out a pair of silver orbs the size of oranges, upon closer inspection he noticed that they had a demonic eye etched into it on one side and his family's crest on the other, he held one in each hand before continuing "…Los Ojos del Diablo (The Eyes of the Devil)…"

"_There's something about them"_ Jyuushiro thought as he looked at the orbs.

"How do they work?" Shunsui inquired.

"As most of you know illusion kidou work by infiltrating the victim's mind through their sight, hearing, or smell and disrupting the flow of energy within said person's brain" Alexander explained as he handed the one in his right hand to Yamamoto and pulled a photo of Aizen's **body** "please tell me what you see in this photograph."

"It's a picture of the imaginary body Aizen conjured up when he faked his death" Soi Fon stated "what's your point?"

"My point is that what makes his Kyouka Suigetsu so extraordinary is that it even makes you see what Aizen wanted you to see in a photograph or a video clip" Alexander answered before turning to Yamamoto showing him the photo before saying "Head Captain, please focus your energy into the orb and press it against your forehead…oh and I recommend thinking lovely thoughts if you can."

The ancient Captain focused his energy into the orb causing it to glow dimly before he placed it over his forehead and it seemed to be absorbed into his forehead, seconds later black marks formed over his forehead in the shape of an eye which began to glow red.

"What do you see now?" Alexander asked as he showed the old man the same photo causing him to open one of his eyes curiously.

"Aizen's sword" Yamamoto stated with no hint of emotion "impressive."

"I'm flattered" Alexander replied "in any case once you absorb one of these orbs into your being it fortifies the energy networks within your brain to prevent you from falling under Aizen's hypnosis, whenever your near an illusion created by his Kyouka Suigetsu, this mark will appear over your forehead…" he pointed towards the mark which had appeared over his own "…just like mine."

"Wait a minute" Sajin said with a hint of panic "were you able to make enough for all eleven of us?"

"No" Alexander answered "in fact, now that me and the Head Captain have used ours, that leaves just one spare" he held out the last orb.

"Why didn't you make more!!!" Soi Fon demanded.

Alexander pulled out a black crystal from his robe and held it in front of the other Captains "this gem is the primary component of these orbs, I can only create one of these a day without risking my soul; then there was all the prototypes I had to create in order to make sure I wasn't giving you guys a dangerous products; I can't even remember how many failed attempts there were, my entire body was nearly torn to shreds several times…" he sighed as he thought back to all the injuries he had inflicted upon himself "…when I finally perfected it, I only had enough gems to make two more after the one I used on myself…"

"So who's going to get the last one?" Toushirou inquired just before Yamamoto slammed the bottom of his cane into the floor drawing the attention of his ten subordinates.

"Captain Dark-Heart, you are to hold onto the last one for now" Yamamoto commanded and the new Captain of Squad Five nodded "given the situation, it would be foolish to decide just who will receive the last orb at this stage of the war; as the situation evolves in the World of the Living, I want you to decide who will be best served by it in the event you or I am unable to stop Aizen."

"Sir" Alexander replied in understanding.

*End Flashback*

"Such crafty people you have" Aizen stated as he rushed past Yamamoto with a shunpo and cut into his left arm sending a stream of blood gushing from the old man _"speaking of 'crafty' what are you doing Gin?!"_

*With Gin and Youmei*

"Damn it!!!" Youmei swore as she was forced back by another of Gin's sword swipes, her kimono was torn in several spots but so far she had avoided taking any hits.

"_I have to hurry"_ Gin thought as he put his left hand over the right side of his face "this is your last warning, get out of my way!"

"My so you're actually speaking proper English, just for me?" Youmei chuckled "no way in Hell, I'm having too much fun with you."

"That's too bad" Gin stated as he waved his hand across his face covering it with a white fox shaped hollow mask covered his face with light silver markings running down the sides of his face; it was impossible to tell how it affected his eyes since he kept them closed he pointed his sword towards Youmei and chanted "Shoot to Kill Shinsou" his voice was much deeper and darker in tone.

"_Damn it"_ Youmei swore as he pulled Akakouhi in front of her and braced it with her right hand just in time as Shinsou crashed into its side _"it was dangerous before, but now…" _the sheer force behind the blade was so great it sent her flying backwards _"…it's unstoppable!!!"_ out of the corner of her eye she saw that the tip of Shinsou was beginning to dig into her sword one centimeter at a time, Youmei spun around counter clock wise sending Shinsou's blade racing past her, she quickly slammed her own sword against it and raced towards Gin _"I have to end this fast!!!"_ moments later she was in front of the former Captain of Squad Three, with a flick of her right wrist her sword was engulfed in raging flames "YOU'RE DEAD FOX BOY!!!" she prepared to slam her sword down on him.

Gin smirked before gripping the handle of his Zanpakutou and swinging it horizontally sending Youmei crashing into the empty streets below "nice try" he stated as blade of his sword retracted, suddenly an arch of fire soared out from the smoke towards him which he dodged with a shunpo "you're determined" he added as the dust cleared revealing the split personality to be standing covered in dust, her right sleeve had effectively disintegrated, her hair was now hanging loosely, and there was a small cut above her left eye.

"Bastard" Youmei hissed as she lunged towards Gin again intent on slashing him.

Gin shook his hand as he took his stance preparing to counter her. Youmei swung her blade vertically but Gin deflected it with a wave of his sword before attempting to slash her across her face but only managed to cut her right cheek. Youmei tried to nail Gin with a right jab but he grabbed her fist with his left hand and threw her to the ground. Youmei landed on her back and kicked up a large amount of dust, her eye opened in shock as she saw Gin pointing his sword towards her, she gasped as she rolled to her left just in time as his blade slammed into the ground right where her head had been moments earlier.

"She reacts quickly" Gin stated calmly as a large could of dust kicked into the air from the force of the impact from his shikai _"can I take the shot now?"_ he asked himself before shaking his head _"no, that woman will cut me down in an instant if I drop my guard…I have to either incapacitate or kill her, otherwise I'll never hit my mark!"_ he began to look around for the Youmei _"where are you?!"_

"_Damn it, this isn't good"_ Youmei swore to herself as she braced herself against a concrete slab shielding her from Gin's vision, she suddenly realized that the hair behind her head on her right side had been cut to the point where it was only shoulder length, her face contorted in rage as she thought _"I guess there's no choice, I'll have to use __**it**__" _she looked towards her sword.

"_That won't be enough Savage"_ Princess' voice echoed from within her mind _"don't forget that Gin Ichimaru is a former Captain, so he has a Bankai as well…"_

"_I'm violent not stupid Princess!!!"_ Youmei replied angrily _"and in case you've forgotten, you and I are a little short on options!!!"_

"_There is one"_ Princess stated calmly.

"_You can't mean…"_ Youmei began

"_I do" _Princess continued _"you and I have been in conflict with each other ever since the day you came into existence…"_ Youmei took a more solemn expression _"…as a result we've __**both**__ been weakened as a result...thanks to our versatility and abilities we've been able to continue fighting on our own with only an occasional switch out…but that's NOT an option here…if you want to stop Gin, then you must allow me to sync with you!!!"_

"_Damn you"_ Youmei swore in her mind before sighing and thinking _"fine, but leave me in control of your body for now…I think we can at least agree that my powers are better suited for this situation."_

"_I won't try to steal your thunder"_ Princess assured her other side _"just allow me to help you…"_

"_Fair enough"_ Youmei thought as her spiritual pressure began to sky rocket.

"_There!!!"_ Gin thought as he sensed his target behind the slab on the ground "shoot to kill Shinsou!!!" his blade immediately slammed through the concrete with such force it collapsed almost instantaneously, moments later he looked to his left to see Youmei hovering like a murderous banshee with her blood red hair flying behind her left side as she swung her sword diagonally cutting him from his left shoulder down to his stomach and burning his skin on both sides of the cut _"how did she?!"_ he put some distance between him and her with a Shunpo, Gin gritted his teeth before firing a volley of bala towards her.

"_Maintain our balance…"_ Princess thought as they bobbed and weaved through the blasts.

"…_get our arms ready…"_ Youmei added with a smirk.

"…_we attack together!!!" _Princess finished as her other side swung their blade down on Gin who blocked it with his own only to be slammed in the face by her vicious right hook.

"Well now, what happened here?" Gin asked as he regained his footing "since when did you get this fast and powerful?"

Youmei grinned as she swung her blade over her head "me and the Princess have been at war with one another since the day I was born" she chuckled "we never seemed to see eye to eye and as a result we ended up holding each other back; kind of like how a shinigami is weakened when they're out of sync with their Zanpakutou" she smiled "but now, we're in sync and though I had my doubts…" she raised her head and her grin widened "…now that I'm in sync with Princess I feel unstoppable!" her spiritual began to rise again "we are Savage and Princess Youmei Rammyaku, and this is our power!!!"

"_Unbelievable"_ Gin thought as his wounds healed returning his body to normal _"she's even more dangerous than I thought."_

"High speed regeneration" Youmei stated in annoyance before shouting "why don't you use your resurrección and give me a bigger target like Tousen did for Elaina?"

"I don't have one" Gin replied calmly "Kaname sadly was eaten away from the inside after the Hollowification by his inner hollow, as a result he became more 'hollow' like than he should have which caused his mental condition to destabilize…" Youmei thought back to the former Captain's rants "…but on the positive side he gained something neither I nor Captain Aizen have."

"Wow you guys are so messed up even I find you sickening" Youmei stated as she swung her blade over her shoulder "I'm just going to kill you now before you disgust me any further" she rushed towards Gin and the two locked blades sending out a rushing wind of power.

*Yamamoto and Aizen*

"It's a shame that you seem to be towards the end of your rope" Aizen stated as he eyed the ancient Head Captain with a dismissive expression; for the first time in well over a hundred years, Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto was on the ropes, in addition to the cut over his left arm from earlier he now had a cut over his forehead, a laceration across his chest, and a stab wound in his abdomen while Aizen was unharmed "surprised?" Yamamoto gave no reply "surely you realize how this has happened…" Yamamoto gritted his teeth at his comment "…from the day I joined the Thirteen Court Guard Squads to the day I defected I was using my Kyouka Suigetsu on every single shinigami I crossed paths with, in simplest terms I was using my shikai without rest for over one hundred years, in other words…" he looked at the old man darkly "…I was constantly training, nonstop for more than a century!!! And as a result I obtained the pinnacle of power and have transcended the limits of shinigami and hollow…I have become a God!!!"

"A God you say? How foolish" Yamamoto replied as his gaze shifted towards the numerous Captains and Vizards who were waiting for their chance to take a shot at Aizen "all of you stand back unless you wish to die…"

"Old man Yama" Shunsui gasped in realization as he turned to Lisa, Love, and Rose "we need to get away, now!!!"

"What are you rambling on…" Lisa began but noticed the panic in his eyes before nodding and the four fled from their current position and the others did the same.

"I must say I'm flattered, in all the years I served in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads the only sources of information I managed to get on this were merely rumors and superstitions" Aizen stated as Yamamoto's spiritual pressure intensified to levels most people would've thought unattainable "I look forward to this…"

"Be careful what you wish for young fool" Yamamoto stated as for the first time since he did battle with the Frozen Devil over a century ago he chanted "Bankai!!!"

"Time to go" Alexander said in a panicked tone as he grabbed Toushirou with his right hand before he and Ichigo fled with a shunpo as the sea of flames exploded.

"Holy Hell" Ichigo stated in disbelief at the old man's display of raw power and Alexander appeared right next to him.

The flames surrounding Aizen and Yamamoto had expanded several times over engulfing everything within five city blocks in a raging inferno which had taken the form of a flaming twister turning everything from the ground beneath them to the sky above them to ashes.

"Hateshiganaikasaikaiyou (Eternal Fire Ocean) Ryuujin Jakka" Yamamoto chanted.

"I'd expect no less from you" Aizen stated calmly before his eyes opened in shock as a flame whipped out from behind and struck him across his back, even Aizen had to gasp from the immense burning pain which burned his flesh raw "you…bastard…" he hissed out weakly as he noticed several more flames approaching him various directions forcing him to move at full speed in order to avoid being turned to ashes.

"You're not getting away from me" Yamamoto said calmly as he swung his sword horizontally sending a raging ring of fire racing towards the traitorous Captain.

Aizen's face contorted in annoyance as he slashed the ring with his sword causing to disperse in a few minor flickers, seconds later the flaming giant that was Yamamoto appeared behind Aizen with his sword raised, gripping it with both hands.

"_Kendo!"_ Aizen thought with a hint of panic as he braced his katana with both hands as the sheer force of the strike sent Aizen crashing through the flames below and into the melting streets resulting in huge explosion of flames and ashes, the sheer temperatures forced him to recover quickly or face being melted; his outfit had lost its right sleeve and both leggings up to his knees, and the back had been destroyed by his initial attack, while his body was covered in burns. He turned his head with an angry expression spread across his face as several flames began to surround him a sphere of raging Hellfire.

"_This is the end Aizen"_ Yamamoto thought as Aizen was engulfed in the flames and it exploded.

*With Gin and Youmei*

"This is starting to piss me off" Youmei stated in annoyance as another cut over Gin's chest healed after only a few seconds; in addition to the cut above her left Youmei now had shallow cuts over her forehead, naval, left thigh, right bicep, and several nicks across various points of her body "no choice, then…" she swung Akakouhi in front of her and grabbed it with her right hand "…if all the damage I inflict on you is just going to heal in five seconds, I'll just have to hit you so hard you'll die long before you regenerate…"

"_You've gained such powerful allies…"_ Gin thought as he smirked behind his mask and her spiritual power skyrocketed _"…you surpassed even my expectations Toushirou…" _

"_I trust you have no objections Princess!"_ Youmei said to her other self.

"_Do it Savage"_ Princess commanded.

Youmei smirked widely as her eyes glowed with overflowing power "about damn time…Bankai!!!" she was engulfed a small cyclone of flames, moments later it dispersed revealing her to be standing with a pair of twin red and gold flaming long swords, her hands and feet were engulfed in red flames, there was a skirt of over a dozen swords hovering around her waist, and floating behind her was a ring of eight swords rotating clockwise spitting flames out in various directions; Youmei grinned as she eyed the former Captain of Squad Three "Kenodoriko (Sword Dancer) Akakouhi" she leapt towards Gin as fast as she could leaving a trail of flames behind her.

The former Captain raised his blade horizontally as Youmei slammed down on him with her two swords which left a streak of flames in their wake, Gin quickly pushed up on his blade knocking Youmei off balance before attempting to strike her head with a vertical swing, however Youmei blocked his sword by holding hers in an X shape catching his blade with her two guards. Youmei smirked as she used the opening to plant both her feet in Gin's stomach sending him back several yards, he regained his footing just in time as Youmei swung her right sword in a downward motion on top of him only to be blocked by Gin's sword, Gin's eyes opened in shock revealing that his eyes had remained red but now had the appearance of dried blood as opposed to fresh blood as he saw her begin a stabbing motion with her left sword, thinking fast he twisted his wrist in time to parry her blade and keep it from piercing his heart.

"Interesting" Gin stated as they parted blades and Youmei grinned evilly at him "you've adapted from handling a heavy sword to a pair of twin blades remarkably well, your technique with them is cunning and ruthless; your initial attacks are aimed at occupying your opponent's defense to create an opening for your follow up attack."

"That is one of the most effective methods for wielding dual swords" Youmei replied as she appeared behind Gin with a shunpo and tried to behead him with a cross swipe which he dodged with his own shunpo "Tch, slippery bastard."

"But what I find odd is that unlike Ichigo's, Toushirou's, Elaina's, and Alex's Bankais…" Gin continued "…yours doesn't seem to give you any significant boosts to your speed, stamina, or attack strength…"

"_Damn, he's caught on to that already" _Youmei swore in her mind _"oh well there's no way he knows about its __**real**__ function."_

"…it's a rather disappointing Bankai from what I can tell…" Gin sighed as he held his sword into the air "…that aside, you should be proud; even with such a meager weapon you were able to force me to use this…" Youmei's eyes opened in anticipation at his words "…it'll be over soon; Bankai!!!" suddenly the sky above them was covered in pitch black storm clouds.

"This is like the kid's Tenso Jurin!!!" Youmei stated in disbelief before thinking _"but there's no change in temperature…it must be different somehow…"_

"Amatsuame (Heavenly Rain) Shinsou" Gin chanted as he held his sword; the blade had turned the same color as his hair and there were three crystal like protrusions sticking out from the bottom which had the same purplish color "get ready" he warned as the area around them began to darken _"I'm almost there…just hang on a little while longer…"_

*With Aizen and Yamamoto*

The flames engulfing Aizen exploded violently with enough force to liquefy an entire city block, Yamamoto was breathing heavily as he grasped the stab wound over his abdomen.

"_Did I get him?"_ Yamamoto asked himself.

"Incredible" Aizen's voice echoed from within the cinders causing Yamamoto's eyes to open in shock not only at the sound of Aizen's voice but at how it sounded **different** from before "if you had used that on me when I left the Soul Society I'd be in serious trouble" the cinders cleared revealing Aizen to be standing with a white mask; it had the appearance of the masks one would expect to see hanging over the stage of a theatre representing the two classic types of plays, comedies and tragedies, the left side of Aizen's face was covered in what appeared to be half of a 'comedy' mask while his right side was covered with half of a 'tragedy' mask "makes me grateful to have this power" Yamamoto looked at him crossly as his wounds began to close with a hissing sound and his burns seemed to melt away.

"You've truly lost all pride you've ever held as a shinigami" Yamamoto stated through gritted teeth as Aizen turned his gaze towards him "then again; I suppose you never had any pride to begin with!!!"

"Pride? Such a foolish gesture" Aizen chuckled "let me tell you something old man; do you know why it was so easy for me to work towards me goals and ambitions when I was right under your nose?" Yamamoto was silent "it was because you were so blinded by your pride that you never considered the possibility that you may not be seeing something, you never considered the possibility that any of the Captains below you might be more than you imagined, you never noticed the signs that I was not the man I pretended to be…aside from Toushirou who was always a vocal critic of the Central Forty Six, you never bothered to look into the possibility that I or any others were plotting to betray the Seireitei…" his wounds finished healing as he took his stance "…now let me show you just how meaningless this **pride** of your is, I will show you how it compares to the power of a God!"

Aizen rushed towards the ancient captain at speeds that even all his centuries of experience could not have prepared him for. Yamamoto braced his sword horizontally with both hands as Aizen appeared in front of him and swung his sword downward with one hand, the force behind the swing was so great it sent Yamamoto crashing into the ground kicking up a mushroom cloud of dust and flames. Aizen swung his sword horizontally blocking another two handed swing from Yamamoto who had appeared right behind him, though Yamamoto was a legendary master of kendo, Aizen's strength had become so great that even he was stopped in his tracks by a simple block. Aizen pushed up on his blade to throw the old man off balance and tried to slash his chest with a simple swing but Yamamoto dodged it with a shunpo. Aizen smirked beneath his mask as Yamamoto retreated backwards and all the flames surrounding the two warriors began to gather around the old man's sword.

"_Ryuujin Jakka's ultimate attack, it's been centuries since I've used it…"_ Yamamoto thought before shouting "MAKAIKASAITOMURAI (Hell Fire Funeral)!!!" all the flames which had just been absorbed by his sword shot out in a raging inferno which took the form of a phoenix the size of a passenger jet racing towards the traitorous Captain, the heat was so great that the streets and buildings dozens of stories below melted in its tracks _"…now die already!!!"_

Aizen smirked even wider as the phoenix approached him, without even blinking he lowered his sword and pointed his left palm towards the phoenix. Yamamoto could only gasp in horror as a pure white cero struck his most powerful attack head on and stopped it dead in its tracks before it exploded into countless tiny cinders. Moments later Aizen appeared in front of Yamamoto who immediately swung his sword down on the former Captain of Squad Five, Aizen swung his sword horizontally in an upward motion cutting Yamamoto's blade in half putting an expression of sheer shock across the old man's face before Aizen spun around and held his katana upside down and running it through Yamamoto's chest.

"You lose old man" Aizen stated calmly as blood began to pour from both the entry and the exit wound and he dropped his katana "your blindness allowed me to prosper and your weakness rendered you unable to stop me" his mask faded into nothingness just as he pulled his sword from Yamamoto's body "farewell Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto" Yamamoto plummeted towards the ground.

"Master!!!" Shunsui cried as he caught his teacher just before he was about to crash into the streets below, Shunsui couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at the old man who was quickly bleeding out in his arms "Old man Yama…" he said weakly.

"Shunsui" Yamamoto said weakly "what are you doing, Aizen isn't dead yet…"

"That can wait, we need to get you treated or else you'll" Shunsui replied in a panicked.

"Shunsui, you and I both know theres no hope for me now" Yamamoto stated before coughing up a small amount of blood "I told Captain Hitsugaya…"

"Save your strength please" Shunsui begged.

"…I told him where to find…" Yamamoto continued ignoring Shunsui's pleading "…the location of the…King's Key!!!" Shunsui was speechless at his words.

"So that's what you were saying to Toushirou earlier" Aizen stated in amusement.

"For centuries I've been looking for someone who could take my place as Head Captain, I had originally wanted to give it to you or Jyuushiro" Yamamoto explained "but you had no interest" he chuckled lightly "and unfortunately Jyuushiro could never do it because of his illness…but that boy…" he coughed up more blood "…once that seal on his abilities is broken…he'll have more power than you can imagine…all those centuries ago when I fought him…It was only because he dropped his guard that I was able to stop him with my bankai, if he hadn't gotten sloppy at the end I would have died all those years ago…he's young and inexperienced, but he may be the last hope for the Thirteen Squads…please Shunsui…help him…" Shunsui could only watch in disbelief as his master's body went limp and his breathing stopped.

"How pathetic" Aizen sighed before a white and black blade nearly cut his head in two, he dodged with a quick shunpo to find himself eyeing his successor who was holding his shikai "so you're my next opponent Captain Dark-Heart?"

"I'm one of them" Alexander answered.

"Bankai Kurohenkan Onitsume!!!" Elaina growled as she appeared above Aizen and tried to slam his head in with her right leg but he ducked it and leapt backward to put some distance between them "Aizen, you're going to pay for what you did to Kaname Tousen!!!"

"For what I did?" Aizen inquired "surly you haven't forgotten that it was the wounds you inflicted on him that sealed Kaname's fate…in fact he was already dead when I…"

"That's not what I'm talking about!!!" Elaina hissed as she eyed Aizen through her demonic eyes "you took advantage of a heartbroken man and twisted his heart until the pain drove him to betray his friends!!! Aizen, you are simply unforgivable!!!"

Aizen smirked before he swung his sword to block a black arc of energy "so you're back Ichigo Kurosaki" suddenly a shadow shot out from the Getsuga Tenshou and stabbed Aizen across his cheek before he leapt back to avoid a more serious injury.

"You were careless Aizen" Shunsui said coldly as he emerged from the shadow that had cut him "this boy's attack is like one giant shadow…"

"Damn you Kyouraku" Aizen swore softly as he took his stance.

"Aizen" Alexander began calmly as all unoccupied Shinigami and Vaizards gathered around him "earlier you were lecturing Ichigo here saying that a blade swung without anger and only out of duty is like an Eagle without wings…" he sighed before continuing "…I suppose it's too much for you to understand that the ability to swing your blade out of a sense of duty is the most important aspect for a Captain to have, a blade that is swung solely out of anger only begets wanton destruction…" he looked at his predecessor with a murderous gaze "…Aizen, you truly aren't fit to be a Captain."

Aizen smirked before stating "I must say I'm surprised to hear those words out of you" Aizen looked at him in amusement "after all you used to go by the name of 'Wrath' did you not? Wasn't that the Deadly Sin you were meant to represent similar to how my Espada represented an aspect of death?" Alexander gave no answer "can you truly say that you have ever been free of wrath throughout your existence? When you were a child you were angry at the masses throughout this world who chose to fight and wage war against each other over foolish matters such as race or religion, when you were a young man you were enraged against your father for killing your mother, and as an adult weren't you consumed by rage when Hitler killed your precious Esther?" Alexander appeared in front of him and slashed at Aizen repeatedly eventually forcing Aizen back when Nehan cut into his left shoulder.

"You're not completely mistaken" Alexander stated "In many ways I am the embodiment of Wrath, the most dangerous and destructive of the Seven Deadly Sins…in the same sense you who have confused yourself with a God have become an embodiment of the sin of Vanity."

"So the only difference between us is the sin we embody" Aizen chuckled as he dawned his mask and his wounds healed.

"No, that's just the one thing we have in common" Alexander answered as he took his stance and the other Shinigami and Vizards did the same "the biggest difference is that I've grown as an individual beyond Wrath alone" he dawned his mask as well "Aizen make no mistake, we will kill you" they charged towards their common enemy _"I hope we can finish this before anything else comes to give you trouble…Head Captain Hitsugaya…"_

*With Youmei and Gin*

"_Damn, I'm running out of time"_ Gin swore in his mind as turned his focus towards Youmei _"I can't hold back now!!!"_ the sound of thunder filled the air surrounding him and the split personality.

"_What the Hell is this?!"_ Youmei asked herself in disbelief as suddenly what appeared to be a bolt of lightning shot out from the sky towards her; she used a shunpo at the last moment and managed to dodge it, she gasped in shock as the lighting didn't disappear after striking, but instead faded to reveal a single blade stretching all the way from the street to the clouds above _"his Bankai freaking rains swords!!!"_ suddenly another sword blade rained down on her which she again dodged at the last second _"I need to kill him now!!!"_ she rushed towards him but was stopped when another blade fell from the sky so fast she had to use the sword in her right hand to shield herself from it before leaping back.

"The closer you get to me the faster the blades get" Gin explained calmly "give it up, there's no way you can keep up with Shinsou's speed!"

"Screw you" Youmei hissed _"but he's right…and Princess' Bankai is even less suited for a fight like this…"_

"_Savage, I'm afraid there's only one option left…"_ Princess said solemnly.

"Yeah I know" Youmei sighed _"I only have five shots…"_ another blade nearly struck her but she blocked it with her left blade _"…make that six shots, I'll need more…"_ she turned her gaze towards Gin who was standing anxiously fifty yards away _"…tch, fine, let's get stupid!!!"_

Gin was surprised to see Youmei charge towards her, swords at the ready, she moved no more than five yards when yet another blade fell from the sky, instead of dodging it Youmei parried around it using her swords. Gin couldn't help but wonder if she was planning something as she moved in about seven yards and another sword attempted to skew her only for her to twirl around it using her left sword, she continued onward and parried a third blade which cut her across her left thigh, later she blocked a forth which gave her a shallow cut across her stomach, she came within ten yards of Gin and two swords fell from the sky, she blocked them using both of the swords in her hands. The next second she appeared right in front of Gin.

"You're dead!!!" Youmei declared.

"I'm afraid not" Gin stated as three blades fell from the sky and struck Youmei, two of them ran straight through her forearms and the third ran through her left thigh pinning her to place and causing her to scream in pain "I'm sorry, be grateful those wounds aren't life threatening, now don't move" he used a shunpo to put some distance between him and her he braced his sword and took his stance _"it's now or ever, I have to make the shot now!!!"_

"Dumb ass, you fell for it" Youmei chuckled causing Gin to open his eyes in shock as he looked around to see a dozen orbs of red energy forming in the sky "twelve hits, that should be more than enough."

"_What is this?!"_ Gin thought in shock.

"Earlier you said my Bankai doesn't increase my strength, speed, or defense…that's true" Youmei began as she winced in pain "but it doesn't just switch me weapons" she smiled "every time I cross blades with my enemy a residual energy is left behind right where the contact occurred, my Bankai's power turns each of those residuals into an attack" suddenly the red orbs turned into swords before turning quickly and pointing at Gin "and turn it all towards my opponent" her grin widened before she chanted "Koukidansu (Final Dance)" all twelve blades immediately rushed towards Gin.

"_No choice!!!" _Gin thought before aiming his sword and chanting "Shoot to Kill Shinsou!!!"

A dozen swords rushed towards the fox like hybrid, one wedged itself his left shoulder while a second one dug into his right leg, as blood squirted from both wounds the Divine Spear shot out with its infamous speed and a third sword raced past his face tearing off the section of his mask covering his left eye.

Youmei gasped in shock as the blade raced past her cheek without even touching her "your aim is off" she chuckled as the other blades attacked her enemy ruthlessly, most of them only grazed his body but the last one pierced him right through his chest.

"I missed? What are you talking about?" Gin asked with an amused tone as his mask shattered and he refocused his gaze on his blade, both his eyes were opened slightly and he had a faint smile across his face as blood began to pour from his mouth "I'm right on target."

"What?!" Youmei replied as she looked behind her to see where the blade was going "it can't be!!!"

*With Aizen and everyone who's trying to kill him*

The battle thus far had not been a smooth one, due to Aizen's overwhelming strength and the fact that only one of his opponents could see through his illusions he was holding up extremely well; so far Rose, Love, Lisa, and Soi Fon had all been incapacitated due to their injuries and exhaustion.

"You still think you have what it takes to kill me?" Aizen asked Alexander, Shinji, Elaina, and Shunsui took their stances; most of them had small cuts and other minor injuries.

"Your vanity is going to be the death of you if you keep this up" Alexander replied as a small amount of blood flowed over his mask's left eye socket and he held up Kokuhyou "everyone here knows about this sword's power, so if you get so much as a paper cut from this sword they know to move in for the kill!!!"

"That's true" Aizen chuckled lightly before opening his eyes in shock _"Gin what are you doing?!"_

"Dad look!!!" Elaina shouted.

"What the Hell?" Toushirou gasped as he saw Gin's sword racing across the city.

*With Momo and Rangiku*

A large explosion threw Rangiku face first into the streets below, her uniform was torn in several sections and her body was covered in burns from Momo's kidou, the force of the impact gave her bruises all over her back, and a cut above her forehead was bleeding over her eyes caking the tips of her bangs in the red liquid.

"Damn it" Rangiku swore weakly before Momo appeared standing over her with her Tobiume raised engulfed in flames; she had a number of small cuts over her limbs and torso, her kimono was also shredded in some areas from Rangiku's attack, and a few nicks on her head were bleeding however it didn't take a genius or a battle hardened veteran to tell that she had the upper hand in this battle.

"You lose" Momo stated with a disturbing grin "I'll tell Captain Aizen all about it once this is over" she chuckled disturbingly as she prepared to swing her sword and the magical flames intensified "good bye Rangiku…"

"This can't be…" Rangiku said weakly, suddenly Rangiku froze as she heard the familiar sound of a blade piercing flesh, she looked up in disbelief to a long katana blade had rushed in only a couple feet above her and had run Momo through her heart "…impossible…" Rangiku gasped as Momo's sword fell to the ground next to them, moments later the blade retracted and Momo's body fell to the side and was quickly lying a pool of her own blood "…Gin" she finished in disbelief as she stood up and looked towards the source of the attack.

*With Toushirou*

The pain that had been torturing Toushirou for the past two or three hours subsided, the energy that had shooting out from his body began to gently draw back into his being, he sat up weakly and turned his looked in horror to see Rangiku barely sitting up covered in burns and Momo lying on the ground dead.

"What?!" he asked in weakness and disbelief "What the Hell is going on here?!"

*With Gin*

"_Good, now that the girl is dead…all that's left is for the shock to set in…after that his real power will awaken at last…I'll leave the last of it to you, don't let me down…"_ Gin thought as he drew in his sword for the last time, he coughed up a large amount of blood as he continued smiling and he turned towards Youmei "that was fun, you're very skilled; try to improve a bit and maybe you'd be as strong as me" he chuckled before disappearing with a shunpo and the blades holding Youmei in place disappeared.

"Damn that hurt" Youmei swore as she turned her gaze towards Aizen _"no good, I need to get treated or I'll just get in the way!!!"_ she looked towards Rangiku and Momo before asking "just what the Hell was that fox face thinking?" she disappeared with a sloppy shunpo to seek medical treatment.

"Gin" Rangiku gasped as her former childhood friend appeared before her with a large wound bleeding heavily from his chest, Rangiku was speechless for several moments until he dropped his sword and brought her back to reality, she immediately stood up and grabbed Gin by the front of his blood stained coat "what the Hell are you doing Gin?! What's the meaning of all this?!" tears began to fall from her eyes "why…WHY DID YOU BETRAY ME GIN!!!" she lowered her head as she continued to cry.

Gin blinked weakly as he continued to smile softly before he gently grabbed her wrists drawing her attention to his face and he began to utter his last words, Rangiku was shocked and thrust into a state of disbelief, moments later Rangiku's grip broke and Gin stumbled back, he coughed up a large amount of blood before turning towards Rangiku one last time, he reached out with his right hand which was shaking uncontrollably as he muttered a few words and fell on his back before being soaked in a pool of his own blood.

"Gin" Rangiku cried as ran up to her old friend, but it was too late; after so many years of elusiveness, after all the pain he had caused her and everyone around him, after all the lies and deceptions, Gin Ichimaru was dead "GIN!!!" tears continued to pour from her eyes.

"So he finally succeeded, after a hundred and ten years it's about time" a mysterious voice stated, what surprised everyone still alive in the fake Karakura town was the fact that it echoed within their minds "as I suspected, he intended to die here and I guess he also wanted to speak to you one last time before he did, such a sneaky individual."

"Who's there?!" Rangiku demanded angrily with tears in her eyes "show yourself now!!!"

"How pathetic Gin" the voice stated as his Zanpakutou began to glow just before it burst into a dozen small orbs of light and took the shape of a tall man with long silver hair and fur covering his lower body, he had furry fox ears and the same blood red eyes as Gin, and behind him waged a long silver fox tail with what appeared to be a sword just barely sticking out of the tip "this is my first time meeting you all in person, my name is Shinsou."

"Gin's Zanpakutou!!!" Rangiku gasped in disbelief and the others turned their gaze towards it.

"That's right, you see in the weeks leading up to this event, my master funneled a large portion of his energy into me so that I could materialize upon his death" Shinsou began "he felt that if he should fall you all at least deserved to know **the truth** about him…" he looked towards the Shinigami and Vaizards who were fighting against Aizen "…you'll find that you have little say in the matter of rather or not to listen, thanks to this special aura I'm producing no one in the city will be able to fight so long as I remain…"

"_He's right"_ Shunsui thought as he tried to move his arms but they were both frozen _"just what was that guy up to and what is up with this aura?"_

"What was Gin doing?!" Rangiku asked angrily as she grabbed the fox man by his bangs and began to shake him "why did he side with Aizen?! Why did he betray me?! And why the Hell did he just save me?!"

"His reasons were as numerous as they were complicated" Shinsou stated calmly as he grabbed Rangiku's wrists and broke her grip on his hair "if you wish to understand you'll just have to listen to what I have to say" Rangiku looked at him in desperate confusion "though I can tell you one thing, through all the lies, all the deceptions, all the betrayals, and all the bloodshed he had a single main objective which kept pushing him forward…" he looked into Rangiku's blue eyes which were filled with tears of anger, sadness, and confusion "…and that was **to protect you**, Rangiku Matsumoto!!!" she fell to her knees in shock and disbelief at his words "it'll all make sense soon, so now listen to me all of you, listen to the tale of a boy who threw himself into the depths of Hell, listen to the story of Gin Ichimaru!!!"

**And that's chapter 24 ladies and gentlemen, I bet most of you didn't see that ending coming though I did leave some hints in my earlier chapters. As you can guess the next chapter is going to be about Gin's past, I'm going to title it "His Hell" and I think you'll find it interesting to say the least.**

**Unfortunately the next update is probably going to take a while for two reasons; one I'm currently working on another project besides this one called "House of Winter" I'd be glad to hear what you think about it but it might not be the kind of story for you and I'll be alternating between updating it and this story until one is done (most likely this one). The second reason is because I'm a college student and I have some papers to work on so I'll probably only be putting in one or two hours of work on my fanfictions each day at the most. I apologize but the real world has to take my priorities, and I thank you all for your patience.**

**Now that all that's said and done please leave a review and tell me what you think, and take care of yourselves. **


	25. His Hell

**Author's notes: I finally got this one done. Not a particularly long chapter, it's the first time I've done one that was less than 20 MS word pages in length but it's definitely one of this story's highlights.**

**I still don't own Bleach or Devil May Cry**

**Warning: this chapter may be quite the mind job for some people**

**Please enjoy and don't forget to leave a nice juicy review**

**Ch. 25 His Hell**

"Because of his shrewdness and your lack of perception, my master had you all fooled for years" Shinsou began as the scenery changed from the wreckage of the fake Karakura town to a large gathering of tents around camp fires "he fooled you all into thinking that he was a despicable villain who sought to sew pain and suffering upon everyone he crossed" there were dozens of men gathered dressed in ragged clothes and holding blood stained weapons "but that was far from the truth…"

"Hey boss that was a hell of good time raiding that village" one of the men said to his leader.

"Trust me there will be more to come kid" the man declared in amusement before some movement in the bushes caught his eye "what the hell?" he asked in confusion.

Those were his last words as the tip of a blade quickly shot out from the bushes, he couldn't dodge, he couldn't do anything to save himself, he could only open his eyes in shock and fear a moment before the sword shot through his forehead killing him in an instant.

"What's going on, who did that?!" one of the men demanded as the blade began to retract and their leader's body fell to the ground with a sickening thud, the men gulped in fear as they readied their weapons and the assailant emerged from the cover holding a katana with a short blade which was covered in their chief's blood; he was a young boy with short purplish silver hair which he wore in a bowl cut, his eyes were closed tightly in a disturbing expression which was matched only by his smile and his unusually thing body "get him!!!"

"…the truth of the matter is that he was what all those who are evil fear most…" Shinsou continued as the men rushed towards their master's assassin only to be struck down one by one with a few simple sword swings from the young Gin, they were all dead before they even hit the ground "…he was a vigilante capable of striking down any evil he set his eyes on without warning and without hesitation" Gin proceeded to slaughter the rest of the bandits, those who fought were cut down in an instant, and those who ran were pierced through their backs.

"Sorry" the young Gin said calmly as he swung his sword to rid it of blood before sheathing it "but there's no place for you here in the Soul Society" he then walked off as if it were a normal occurrence for him.

The scene shifted and Gin was standing in a small village full of excited chattering.

"Did you hear? Those bandits that were raiding villages throughout the region were all slaughtered last night" a villager said in relief.

"Sounds like we've got a real guardian angel watching our asses" another villager chuckled happily.

"I doubt it was anything of the sort" Gin stated in mild amusement scaring both men at his sudden appearance "if I had to guess it was just someone with a sword acting out of boredom."

"Who the hell are you kid?! I've never seen you around before!" the first villager asked in shock.

"Sorry if I startled you, my name is Gin Ichimaru, I'm no one worth mentioning" Gin answered before walking off.

"Such a creepy child" the second villager stated and his friend noted "what is up with that unnatural hair color and did you see how he had his eyes closed the whole time?!"

"Yeah and then there's just how thin he is…" the second man added "…such a terrifying child…"

"_It's not my fault I look this way…"_ Gin thought before he overheard a couple of women talking to his side.

"It's great that those bandits who were getting close to us have been exterminated" one woman gave a sigh of relief "it's just a shame that no one can handle those rogue mercenaries to the West…"

Gin felt his right hand begin to twitch _"…but then again…I guess it's impossible for someone to love a killing machine like me…"_

"Ever since my master was a child my master has been cursed with the ability to look into people's hearts…" Shinsou began as a number of violent scenes flashed in front of his observers, all of which involved him killing someone with his sword "…as a result he felt compelled to exterminate evil wherever he found it. And yet, no matter how many bandits or warlords he killed, he was unable to find anyone who accepted him…" the scene changed to a large number of people shrinking in fear at the sight of him "…and so he continued to fight, without reason and without love, no matter where he went no one would give him the time of day, he never found anywhere he could belong, until that day…"

"Here are your dried persimmons" a stall vender said with a hint of nervousness in her voice as she handed Gin a small bag of his favorite food.

"_So pricey…"_ Gin thought as he looked at the run down little town _"…must be due to the poor infrastructure…"_ suddenly he felt a faint presence that caught his attention causing him to run off in pursuit of it _"…this feeling, it has to be someone like me, but it's fading quickly..."_ he froze when he found himself in the middle of a clearing, in the middle was a girl the same age as him with shoulder length ginger hair lying on the ground, as he approached he noticed she was incredibly thin _"…she's dying of starvation!!!"_ he realized as he reached into his bag and put one of his precious dried persimmons to her mouth, the girl blinked before looking up towards Gin "eat…" he commanded and the girl took a bit "…if you can faint from hunger then you must have it too, the power."

"You too?" she asked weakly.

"Yes, my name is Gin, it's very nice to meet you" Gin answered _"I can't just leave her, she'll die."_

"And so Gin began to travel with Rangiku, they traveled throughout Rukongai until eventually taking up refuge in an abandoned house in one of Rukongai's many slums and they played every day they were together, for the first time in his life, my master was happy" Shinsou narrated as several images of the young Rangiku and Gin playing together flashed by, Rangiku was smiling happily and she now appeared to have gained a much healthier weight, as for Gin it appeared that Shinsou's statement was spot on; his grin had been replaced with a genuine smile and his eyes were actually open and had a soft expression the likes of which only Rangiku had ever seen "however word of various bands of murderous men still reached his ears and every time he learned of them he felt compelled, not wanting to drag Rangiku into danger and yet being unable to resist his urge, he had no choice but to leave her behind for days, weeks, and even months at a time to fight…" more images of Gin brutally killing bandits one by one "…naturally he told her nothing of what he was doing, though he succeeded in protecting her from harm…" the scene cleared to show Gin and Rangiku standing in their one room home, the latter wore an incredibly distressed expression.

"Where did you go this time Gin?!" Rangiku demanded desperately.

"It doesn't matter anymore" Gin answered _"I can't let you in on this part of my life because…"_

"I'm so infuriated with you!!!" Rangiku declared angrily before she ran out of the house leaving behind a faint trail of tears in the air.

"…_because I love you, and I don't want you to get hurt…"_ Gin thought as a tear slowly creped down his face as the scene shifted once again.

"And that is how it continued for several more years until eventually he discovered the greatest evil he would ever face…" Shinsou stated as the scene shifted showing Gin dressed in a familiar black Kimono standing next to the body of a slain shinigami.

"Impressive…" a soft voice called out as a younger Sousuke Aizen wearing his squad's lieutenant's badge over his left arm "…you're even better than the rumors suggested. Could I perhaps here your name one more time?"

Gin quickly regained his composure and his smile before Aizen noticed, covered in blood from the dead man before him, he turned towards Aizen and answered "Gin, Gin Ichimaru."

"So how was he?" Aizen asked "our squad's third seat."

"Nothing worth mentioning" Gin answered _"I'm sorry, but I have to get as close to this one as possible or I won't stand a chance."_

"Is that so? That's good to hear" Aizen replied as an evil grin of own crept across his face "allow me to introduce another dear friend of mine, come on out Kaname" at his words a younger Kaname Tousen wearing a white haori and a mask appeared at his leader's command.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance" Kaname stated politely as he walked up to the younger shinigami.

"Same to ya" Gin replied _"This man has the ability to do it, but he's been enslaved by Aizen's words and is unable to break free, he can't do it…"_ he turned his gaze back towards Aizen as he followed the two older men.

The scene shifted once again to the fifth squad's administrative building with Aizen sitting at the Captain's desk wearing a white haori and a murderous grin.

"_He planned it all out…"_ Gin thought in disbelief _"…the Hollowification experiments, the betrayal of his Captain and over half a dozen other Captains and Lieutenants, turning Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi into his scapegoats, and then to take the Captain's seat for himself…"_ Gin looked towards Aizen, though he didn't show it, for the first time in his life Gin was afraid _"…I don't know if I can stop him…I'm sorry Rangiku, but I may not be coming back from this one…"_

"During the years that followed Aizen's betrayal of Shinji Hirako, Gin began to train every day in order to obtain his full potential" Shinsou explained as images of a young Gin crossing blades with Shinsou in an attempt to obtain the Bankai release "shortly after Kisuke Urahara's banishment he succeeded in getting closer to Aizen and eventually became his Lieutenant, however…" several scenes of a slightly older Gin wearing the same Lieutenant's badge that Aizen had worn, upon closer inspection the shinigami and Vaizards noticed that Gin's right hand seemed to indicate that he was about to draw his sword and strike down his Captain "…he could tell that Aizen's guard was too through for him to pierce through with a surprise attack and that in a one on one fight he would never stand a chance due to Aizen's Kyouka Suigetsu and his monstrous abilities; and so his plans changed. Instead of killing Aizen himself he decided to seek out people he felt could do what he could not…" an image of Alexander, Elaina, and Esther at their graduation appeared with Gin observing from the shadows with a hopeful smile etched across his "…about a decade later he discovered a man he could tell would be able to create a way around Aizen's Kyouka Suigetsu, Gin was content to wait out the rest of eternity to find someone with the potential to surpass Aizen, but then something happened that threw a wrench into his plans…" the scene cleared showing Gin standing next to an older Rangiku who was now wearing the same black kimono as him except she kept the top open and in addition she wore a pink scarf around her neck along with a chain necklace.

"You've really grown Rangiku" Gin stated in astonishment at her beauty.

"Is that all you have to say Gin?" Rangiku asked clearly annoyed "it's been nearly forty years since you left."

"Why did you become a shinigami?" Gin replied _"the whole idea of leaving you was to protect you; now that you're here you'll be in danger from the hollows…and from Aizen…"_

"Gin have you even been to our old district recently" Rangiku inquired though she could tell that his answer was no "food prices have gone through the roof, speaking of which ours collapsed several years ago, my options were either to starve to death on the streets or become a shinigami" she looked at him darkly "need I say more?"

"No" Gin answered "I'm sorry Rangiku."

"Then why did you leave me?" Rangiku demanded "do you have any idea how much it hurt me every time you walked out without telling me a damn thing?!"

"I'm sorry" was the only reply Gin could give.

"Forget it" Rangiku sighed sadly "take care of yourself…" she walked off with tears in her eyes.

"_Now that Rangiku's joined the Thirteen Squads she'll be in danger for every day that Aizen still breathes, I need to find someone who can stop Aizen quickly"_ Gin thought to himself _"I won't allow Aizen to hurt her…"_ his expression became much more solemn _"…any more than I already have…"_

"About twenty years later he finally found what he had been seeking" Shinsou stated "and for the first time in the past two decades Gin's shame was outshined by the hope he felt towards this new prospect."

"Show me what you've got you damn little" an angry student yelled out as the clouds began to blacken, a fierce wind began to lash out at his flash, and the temperature plummeted.

"Reign over the frosted frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!!!" another voice commanded forcefully just before an ice dragon slammed the student into a nearby wall and froze him to it, moments later a younger Toushirou landed softly with a faint smile across his face "you should grateful, I restrained so you didn't take the full blast."

"_So this is the genius I've heard so much about"_ Gin thought as he watched the young man's sparring match from the shadows, he was now considerably taller and wearing the Captain's haori of the Third Squad _"he's better than the rumors indicated and his spiritual pressure is unreal, I can't believe he's only a student…" _Gin smiled to himself _"…he still hasn't mastered his powers, but with the proper training he could very well be just what I'm looking for…"_ he immediately set off to return to Aizen _"…I need to get Aizen to assign him to Squad Three so I can train him, then once Aizen obtains the Hogyoku he and the Warlock can finally destroy him…"_ for the first time in twenty years Gin felt hope fill his heart _"…then I can return to Rangiku…"_

*Squad Five Office Building*

"So how was he Gin?" Aizen asked curiously.

"The stories don't do him justice" Gin answered "in time he'll be stronger than me" Aizen smirked at his statement _"more importantly, he'll be stronger than you!"_ he took a seat next to Aizen's desk before adding "though he's bit of a free minded individual, maybe even more so then that Renji guy, it would probably be best if you didn't assign him to your Squad Captain Aizen."

"You make a good point" Aizen replied before his eyes turned slightly "how about it Kaname, can I count on you to investigate this new prospect for me?"

"Of course" Kaname replied as he emerged from the shadows and though he didn't show it, Gin was shocked by the blind man's presence.

"Very well then, I'll have him assigned to the Ninth Squad" Aizen stated "you two are dismissed."

"Sir" the Captain of Squad Nine replied before leaving the office.

"_Damn you Aizen"_ Gin swore angrily in his mind as he walked through the streets of the Seireitei he took a deep breath before thinking _"okay if he's going to be in Squad Nine then it's likely that Dark-Heart will take him under his wing considering what happened to him during the last World War so he can handle training the boy…"_ he put his hand up to his chin _"…I'll just have to do what I can for him while keeping an eye on Aizen."_

"From that day forward he dedicated himself to finding ways to help Toushirou Hitsugaya grow stronger, primarily by recommending Aizen and Tousen assign him to as many advanced missions as possible followed by extended breaks giving him the chance to train with Alexander Dark-Heart and his Zanpakutou, Hyourinmaru" Shinsou explained as several scenes of Toushirou doing battle with various hollows most of which were at least the size of small buildings "however Aizen eventually learned that the boy was the reincarnation of the Frozen Devil which nearly destroyed Head Captain Yamamoto and so…" the scene cleared to reveal Aizen and Kaname standing over an unconscious Toushirou and Alexander who both had white masks beginning to form over their faces.

"What do you think?" Kaname asked "the others all died and disappeared a few minutes after the introduction of the virus…do you think they could be a break through?"

"Hard to say" Aizen replied "they're both clearly resisting but it looks like it's only a matter of time before they're gone like the others, and if they do survive it's not likely to have the effects that I had hoped for."

"So we leave them?" Kaname asked solemnly.

"Yes, we really must return" Aizen answered as he began to walk off "my Kyouka Suigetsu will have provided us with the necessary cover for last night, but it's best for us to return to our squads before we make our next move."

"I see" Kaname replied as he followed him "what a shame."

"_About time they cleared out"_ Gin thought as he approached the two men lying on the ground currently locked in mortal combat with themselves for their own sanity _"they won't last long, without help they'll die"_ he reached out and placed his hands over their faces and they began to glow causing them to stop kicking around _"that should by them some time, now I need to get them some help; I hope I'm right about them being close by"_ he let his spiritual pressure sky rocket so that all spiritually aware beings in the area would sense his presence.

About twenty minutes later the five men and three women who made up the Vaizards arrived on scene and surrounded the two shinigami laying on the ground.

"Shinji…this is" Kensei began but was cut off when Shinji spoke.

"Yeah…my Lieutenant has been busy it would seem…" Shinji said in annoyance "…damn him…"

"You sure it was him?" Mashiro asked curiously.

"Idiot!!! Who else could it have been?!" Kensei hissed in clear annoyance.

"More importantly" Lisa replied "What do we do with them?"

"Isn't it obvious, we leave them" Hiyori answered crudely "we only came here because we sensed that Ichimaru brat" her expression changed to rage as Love shoved his fist into the top of her head.

"Big words coming from a **brat** who had to be saved when she was in the same situation" Love stated.

"Still though" Rose began "this could be a trap, I mean we were lured here by that Gin kid's spiritual pressure, and by the looks of it he's become a Captain Class."

"This is an odd predicament" Shinji sighed as the two shinigami stood up "it may be too late for us to do anything…" Alexander took a step towards the former fifth squad Captain as his mask began to take shape "…too bad pal…." His eyes shot open in shock as his hands snapped the horns clean off before beginning to tear at the face "…what the Hell?!"

"I…I…don't know who or what in Hell's name you are…" Alexander hissed as he ripped off the right half of his mask revealing one of his blood red eyes "…but I refuse…I refuse to be enslaved again!!!"

"He's resisting the Hollowification, at this stage?!" Shinji asked in disbelief as he remembered his own struggle from the night Aizen had betrayed him.

"Shinji the boy!" Lisa stated in disbelief as Toushirou stood up next to his teacher, his mask was beginning to take the shape of a dragon's face.

"I won't…I won't let you do as you please!!!" Toushirou declared as his right hand grasped Hyourinmaru and the Vaizards all grabbed the handles of their Zanpakutou, they gasped in shock as he sliced off the snout of his mask with a single swing before stabbing the blade into the ground "…you won't…" he slammed his head into the bottom of his sword causing fragments of it to fall to the ground next to the snout "…you won't…" he slammed his face once again causing the left side to collapse revealing the left half of his face and his mouth "…use my powers for…mass murder…"

"I've seen enough" Shinji stated calmly as he appeared in front of both shinigami and put his hands over their faces causing them to collapse "we're taking them with us, get ready Hachi."

"Of course" Hachigen replied.

"And Hiyori" Shinji continued with a serious expression draped across his face "grab their swords."

"_I knew they were alive, that Kisuke Urahara truly is amazing"_ Gin thought with a hint of amusement as silently observed _"take good care of them"_ he stealth fully made his exit as Shinji and Hiyori began to bicker _"just make sure to come back you two, without you, Soul Society maybe forever lost…"_

The scene changed to Gin walking down the streets of Seireitei

"_It's been a few years since Toushirou Hitsugaya was made Lieutenant of Squad Six, his powers are advancing well…"_ Gin thought as he placed his hand over his chin in contemplation _"…however Dark-Heart's grown suspicious of Kaname and they're trying to get him transferred out of Squad Nine…"_ he looked up into the air in concern _"…however Ikari's gone insane and Rangiku's in danger for every moment that he's still breathing…since I can't take any direct action against him, I'll have to convince Aizen to use him as a scapegoat…after that I should try to see that he's replaced with Toushirou…"_ he thought of all the times he had seen his fellow prodigy around Rangiku, just how close they had grown, it reminded him of how his relationship with her used to be _"…there's no doubt, he can protect her…"_ he sighed as he headed for a nearby training grounds.

"Good afternoon, Captain Ichimaru" Izuru greeted politely "my name is Izuru Kira sir…"

"Nice ta meet ya" Gin replied his grin and mannerisms were flawless "naw show me what ya can do…"

Izuru demonstrated his skills in shunpo, kidou, and his swordsmanship on a large number of training dummies which were set up to pop out of the ground when he approached. Gin was impressed at how well rounded he was and found his Zanpakutou's special ability to be quite interesting. 

"Kay I'll admit I'm impressed" Gin stated calmly before looking Izuru calmly in the eyes "so tell me, why do ya think ya should be my Lieutenant?"

"To be perfectly honest…" Izuru began nervously "…I don't think I should be…"

"Why's that?" Gin asked curiously.

"Because…because I really hate fighting" Izuru answered and he bowed his head in shame "when I was a kid I lost my parents when they were killed out on mission…ever since then I've been afraid and disgusted with the prospect of fighting…I know I must sound pathetic…" Gin couldn't help but be surprised by the blonde man's response.

"You're wrong" Gin finally replied as he walked up to Izuru "allow me to show you something…" he pulled out a remote with his left hand and the two men found themselves surrounded by dozens of practice dummies before Gin pulled out his sword "…watch closely…" the clouds began to darken before Gin chanted "…Bankai Amatsuame Shinsou!!!" moments later a flash of light nearly blinded the two shinigami, when Izuru's vision came back into focus he was amazed to see that each dummy had at least three blades stabbing through them cleanly.

"Awesome…" Izuru stated in disbelief "…that's amazing…" Gin detected a hint of fear in his voice.

"Terrifying isn't it?" Gin asked speaking properly "just think if these had been people, they all would have been killed" both men took on a more solemn expression "the emblem of Squad Three is the Marigold, it symbolizes despair, and it represents in essence our world view…" Gin's eyes drifted towards Shinsou in his hand as his he began speaking in a very soft and solemn tone "…fights are not supposed to be heroic, fights are not supposed to be enjoyable. Fights must be filled with despair; they are dark, terrifying, ghastly. That way people will fear fighting and do their upmost to avoid war…" he held his sword in front of Izuru "…I believe that our swords adhere to that philosophy better than any other Zanpakutou out their; yours doubles the weight of the victim until they are unable to move, with their head bowed down as if in penance, while mine appears out of nowhere and strikes without mercy or sound robbing the target of their life in an instant leaving behind nothing but fear and corpses as if stricken by an angry deity…hence the name Shinsou (Divine Spear in case anyone forgot)"

"Captain Ichimaru" Izuru stated solemnly.

"Izuru, your views on fighting are nothing to be ashamed of" Gin continued as he sheathed his sword and his Bankai disappeared causing the numerous dummies to fall to the ground, in Izuru's mind he saw them as if they were really people and felt disturbed at how they effortlessly fell to the ground "if everyone in the world understood fighting and war to the degree your words demonstrated to me…well both worlds would be much happier places."

"Thank you very much Captain Ichimaru" Izuru replied.

"Izuru Kira" Gin began as he reached into his robe and pulled out a badge with the Kanji for three and the imprint of a Marigold "become my Lieutenant so that more people may understand despair."

"Sir" was all he could say in response before the scene shifted to Gin watching Toushirou and Gojou Ikari going after one another.

"_This is my test for you Toushirou" _Gin thought as Toushirou unveiled his incomplete Bankai before delivering the final blow _"you should never have so much as raised your hand against Rangiku, be grateful that the kid is kind…unlike me!!!"_ he smiled in satisfaction as Gojou's body iced over before shattering into nothingness.

Hours later the three future traitors were gathered together in Aizen's office, they had just gotten back from Yamamoto's debriefing over what **supposedly **happened with Gojou's experiments. Gin was wearing his trademark grin, Aizen had a satisfied smirk on his face due to the fact that he had once again succeeded in placing all the blame for his crimes on an unsuspecting patsy; however Kaname was visibly showing signs of distress.

"I don't understand Lord Aizen, you saw what he managed to do with a Bankai like **that**" Kaname began desperation was evident in his voice "if it's that powerful at such an incomplete state who knows how strong he'll become?! Given enough time he could…"

"Kaname, relax" Aizen replied causing the blind man to silence himself instantly "you're right if left on his own the boy could actually surpass me and the good Head Captain in time, but there's no need to worry; I foresaw this possibility the day he joined the Thirteen Squads, so just calm down…"

"_Damn, why don't I like the sound of that" _Gin thought as he tried to maintain his cool.

"My deepest apologies" Kaname said remorsefully "may I ask what we're going to do?!"

"**We're** not going to do anything" Aizen answered confusing both men who simply smiled and said "you're both dismissed."

"_What have you done Aizen?!"_ Gin wondered as he used every shred of restraint in his being to keep himself from demanding an answer to his question as the scene blackened once again before showing him walking through the streets of the Seireitei.

"_So Aizen's finally going to make his move for the Hogyoku"_ Gin thought to himself _"that means I only have about a month to figure it out…"_

"_**We're **__not going to do anything"_ Aizen's words echoed in his mind.

"_That Lieutenant of Aizen's, Momo Hinamori…she's incredibly close to Toushirou, I wonder could she have?" _he wondered before sighing _"I'll need to observe him myself to find out…"_ he searched for the younger Captain's spiritual pressure, his eyes popped open when he discovered his whereabouts _"…what the hell is he doing there?!"_ he immediately vanished with a shunpo in his direction while keeping his spiritual pressure masked in order to avoid detection.

"I want you to promise me Captain" Rangiku said calmly as they walked through the balconies "don't go endangering yourself with some power you can't control."

"You're not the boss of me" Toushirou stated bluntly as they stopped in front of her apartment door "in any case make sure your on time in the morning, we've got a lot of work to do."

"Oh Captain" Rangiku whined as Gin caught up to them but stayed hidden "can't we take it easy for just one day?"

"Don't give me that" Toushirou replied annoyance clearly in his voice "you take** every day** easy, so no complaining."

"Come on, you can't keep working all day everyday" Rangiku continued apparently ignoring his last comment "you have to loosen up every now and then or you'll lose your mind."

"It'll be a cold day in Hell when either of those things happen" Toushirou said through gritted teeth before Rangiku pulled him into one of her bone cracking hugs and his face was buried in her chest.

"Ah, I hear it's winter down there actually" Rangiku chuckled in amusement.

"Let go of me damn it!!!" Toushirou swore angrily as she loosened her grip on her captive Captain allowing him to move his head, he looked at her with an expression that signified that he was officially pissed off, what happened next made Gin gasp lightly as Rangiku gave him a gentle kiss on the lips calming him down though he was still looking at her with a hint of annoyance.

"Come on, at least one night of **fun**" Rangiku said seductively as she opened her apartment door, Toushirou rolled his eyes in annoyance at her antics causing her to chuckle as she pulled him inside "trust me, you're going to enjoy this."

"I swear I'm going to make you pay for all this someday Rangiku" Toushirou informed her as the door to the apartment closed behind them.

"_When did…how did he…"_ Gin thought in disbelief at what he had just witnessed, he felt his blood began to boil as his hands began to reach for his Zanpakutou

"_Ever since we were kids you've been walking out on me without warning and without explanation…"_ Rangiku's voice echoed in his memory _"…tell me Gin do you have __**any**__ idea how much it hurt for you to leave unannounced leaving me on my own for months on end?!"_

Gin relaxed his arms and looked to the ground in shame "I'm sorry Rangiku…" he said weakly as tears began to fall from his eyes and he left for his own quarters "…take good care of her Toushirou…"

"Rangiku Matsumoto aside it didn't change the fact that something wasn't right with Toushirou Hitsugaya" Shinsou began as the scene blackened for another transition "after he became a Captain the boy's progress had slowed considerably, in order to confirm his suspicion he acted in a manner to make Toushirou suspect him of betraying the Soul Society and trying to kill Momo Hinamori to make the boy attack him" their fight in Soul Society began to play out in front of them "after trading blows with him in Soul Society Gin confirmed that the only explanation behind his still immature powers was that Aizen had manipulated his Lieutenant into using the forbidden Fukahana spell on Toushirou, knowing full well how much the girl idolized Aizen he knew there was only one way that Toushirou would gain the strength needed to kill Aizen; Momo Hinamori had to die" the sight of Gin's blade rushing towards an unconscious Momo appeared before Rangiku intercepted it "after his first failed attempt he lied to Aizen and convinced him that she must not have used the spell, thus making the opportunity to betray and kill her himself irresistible to the twisted Sadist…" an image of Aizen stabbing Momo through the chest materialized in front of them "…unfortunately the boy and Captain Unohana arrived too soon her life was saved, thus preventing Hitsugaya from realizing his true powers and preventing Aizen from gaining the Hogyoku."

Gin looked down upon his friends and allies as the rock he was standing on floated up into the air _"I'm sorry Toushirou, Izuru, Rangiku…but I have to do this…"_ he turned his gaze towards Aizen as he belittled the shinigami below them _"…Aizen, no matter what happens, I am going to drag you down to Hell with me!!!"_

Several images appeared before the Shinigami and Vaizards; first was Gin as he sliced off the lower half of Hiyori's body in order to take a shot at running Momo through the protective barrier that Izuru had erected only for it to be knocked aside by Youmei after killing Saskibe, the second was of him taking another shot towards her only to be interrupted by Toushirou, next came a series of attempts to line up a shot during his battle with Youmei only for him to be interrupted repeatedly, and the last scene was of him wearing his mask with Youmei pinned in place by his Bankai and her Bankai's special attack pointed right at him.

Realizing that this was his last chance Gin readied his sword and desperately cried "Shoot to Kill Shinsou!!!" sending the tip of his blade rushing towards Momo Hinamori.

Youmei's sword pierced his body one after the other effectively turning him into a pincushion, and yet his aim held true. A faint smile crept across his face as his sword raced past Youmei whom he had hoped to avoid killing if possible.

"Your aim is off" Youmei mocked.

"What are you talking about?" Gin asked with a chuckle as his blade neared its target "I'm right on target" his sword pierced the girl's heart just in time to save the woman he loved from being killed by his fellow traitor.

"What?!" Youmei gasped in disbelief.

"_Good, now that the girl is dead…all that's left is for the shock to set in…after that his real power will awaken at last…I'll leave the last of it to you, don't let me down…"_ Gin thought as he drew in his sword for the last time, he coughed up a large amount of blood as he continued smiling and he turned towards Youmei "that was fun, you're very skilled; try to improve a bit and maybe you'd be as strong as me" Youmei looked at him in shock and confusion as he focused his energy for his last shunpo _"no matter what, even if you hate me, I must speak with you for one last time…Rangiku…at the very least you deserve the truth I was never strong enough to give you"_ he disappeared with a shunpo.

"Do you understand now, Rangiku Matsumoto?!" Shinsou asked coldly as the memories disappeared and she found herself lying on the ground next to Momo's and Gin's corpses and Shinsou who was standing calmly but his body appeared to be fading "he left you behind so that you would be safe, to protect you and all others from Aizen he stayed by his side to keep a close eye on him, and to save both of these worlds he willing sacrificed everything he had to give…" he walked over to the ginger haired woman "…for your sake he chose dishonor over honor, when he could've had your love he chose your hate, and despite all of that; ignoring all the emotional pain he put himself through and paying no mind to his own hemorrhaging he still died with a smile on his face, and do you know why?!" he grabbed her kimono by the collar as he looked into her grief stricken eyes "because above all else he wanted you to be safe and happy, even if that meant losing you to another man…" as soon as the words left his mouth he burst into a mist of light before slowly fading away leaving Rangiku with tears flowing from her eyes.

"_Gin…"_ Rangiku thought as she continued to cry and she looked towards her childhood friend _"…is this why did all of it?! For me?! Is this what you meant?!"_

*Flashback*

"Gin" Rangiku gasped as her former childhood friend appeared before her with a large wound bleeding heavily from his chest, Rangiku was speechless for several moments until he dropped his sword and brought her back to reality, she immediately stood up and grabbed Gin by the front of his blood stained coat "what the Hell are you doing Gin?! What's the meaning of all this?!" tears began to fall from her eyes "why…WHY DID YOU BETRAY ME GIN!!!" she lowered her head as she continued to cry.

"I…I love you Rangiku" Gin stated weakly as his vision began to blur and he grabbed her wrists to get her attention, he smiled as he looked into her gentle eyes for the last time "…all these years I've done nothing but cause you pain, that was never my intention, but that's no excuse for the Hell I've reeked upon your heart. Despite all that I'm glad that I met you…" he coughed up more blood "…it was because of you that here in my final moments, I was able to do the right thing…so please listen to me this one last time…" Rangiku's grip weakened and he took several steps back before coughing up more blood.

"Gin?!" Rangiku chocked.

"…Rangiku…" Gin continued softly as he felt his legs begin to wobble "…just the sound of your name fills my heart with warmth…you truly are a kind woman…" he held his chest with his left hand as he reached out to her as if to touch her face with his right "…you may hate me in the future…it seems very likely to me that you will…however hatred will rob your heart of its freedom and destroy you from the inside…" Rangiku looked at him with a pleading expression, Gin felt his heart sink from shame as he felt his balance fading fast and he was beginning to black out from blood loss "…I can't go there…I can't stand in your way…" he began to fall backwards "…be free from the man named Gin Ichimaru…I'll take your hatred and sadness with me...you're free…" and with that Gin landed on his back with a disturbing thud, a sad yet earnest smile etched across his face.

*End Flashback*

"_I don't believe it"_ Rangiku thought in disbelief as she crawled over to Gin tears pouring from her eyes like rain _"you did all of that for me?!"_ she buried her face in torso causing his blood to stain the tips of her hair.

"…_For your sake he chose dishonor over honor, when he could've had your love he chose your hate, and despite all of that; ignoring all the emotional pain he put himself through and paying no mind to his own hemorrhaging he still died with a smile on his face, and do you know why?!"_ the memory of Shinsou's words cut deeper than any blade could ever have hoped to _"because above all else he wanted you to be safe and happy, even if that meant losing you to another man…"_

"GIN!!!" Rangiku cried out so loudly that it filled the entire battlefield with the sound of sadness as miles away the Thirty First Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads got back on his feet.

"Aizen" he hissed through his teeth as the temperature throughout the entire area plummeted and his spiritual pressure began to skyrocket, he lifted his face to reveal his eyes filled with a combination of anger, self loathing, and sorrow; like Rangiku he too found himself crying tears of despair as snow began to fall blanketing the entire artificial town "I will kill you…no matter what it takes…"

**Author's notes: we have officially reached the 25 chapter mark ladies and gentlemen, now if I was 21 I'd be popping out a bottle of champagne to celebrate; but since that'll have to wait until November I'll just have to hope for some interesting feedback.**

**Just to be honest; Gin's death scene was inspired by the manga "Fairy Tail" which I completely recommend to anyone besides small children. This particular inspiration came from their 146****th**** chapter**

**Please leave a review and stay tuned for Chapter 26**


	26. Frozen Savior

Author's notes: howdy everyone, you all doing alright? Sorry this took so long but I had final exams and I just got back from my vacation to Washington D.C. great city just so you know. Anyway while I'm sorry about the weight I have some good news…I believe this is the largest chapter I've ever written so go nuts

Please enjoy and don't forget to review

And remember if you think I own Bleach or Devil May Cry then you're ******* nuts

**Ch. 26 Frozen Savior**

"_So that's what you were planning all along Gin…to kill me?"_ Aizen thought in disbelief as he parried a strike from Shunsui and glared towards the fallen body of the boy whom he had believed to be his faithful servant _"how pathetic"_ he attempted to stab Shunsui but the eighth squad's captain was able leap back in time to avoid it.

"AIZEN!" Shinji shouted as he leapt towards his former lieutenant with his mask dawned and unleashed a barrage of attacks forcing Aizen to leap back.

"_And you did it all for the sake of a single woman?"_ Aizen continued in his mind as he smirked beneath his mask _"very well then, I'll just be sure to erase what you fought for"_ he pointed his left hand towards the ground where Rangiku was kneeling over Gin's body _"a fitting punishment"_ his hand began to glow white.

"Damn it" Ichigo swore as he swung his Tensa Zangetsu down on Aizen only for him to block it with his sword.

"_If only you were here to see how worthless all your efforts were Gin"_ Aizen smirked as he fired a snow white cero straight towards the ground towards Rangiku.

A large mushroom cloud over forty stories in height erupted from the explosion throwing debris everywhere and causing nearby buildings to collapse from the force. Aizen's eyes drifted from the sight of the explosion to another location several miles away with a look of frustration evident in his eyes as he forced Ichigo back with a swipe of his sword.

*With Retsu and the healers*

"_Incredible"_ Retsu thought in disbelief after Toushirou suddenly appeared in front of her holding Rangiku bridal style _"he was able to get his lieutenant out of the way from a location several miles away from him, and then bring her here in the blink of an eye"_ her shock turned to concern as Toushirou collapsed on the ground _"don't tell me he's!"_

"Captain Unohana, what's wrong with him?" Rangiku asked in concern as she crawled over to him, her legs had long since given out on her _"please be alright, I can't lose anyone else!"_ she thought as Retsu began to examine him.

"I was afraid of this" Retsu stated she engulfed her hands in a soft green light and placed them over Toushirou's body.

"What's wrong with him? Will he okay?" Rangiku asked pleadingly.

Retsu looked towards the younger woman who on her hands and knees _"she can't even mover her legs because of the burns from Lieutenant Hinamori…she's clearly devoted"_ she thought before saying "all that time he spent being tortured by the Fukahana spell effectively wrecked his spiritual network, the system which regulates the flow of a person's spiritual powers, to be honest it's a miracle he was able to perform that shunpo."

"Can you help him?" Rangiku asked.

"Yes, but it'll take time" Retsu answered causing Rangiku to look down "don't worry, he'll be fine, in the meantime why don't you ask Isane or Orihime to help you?"

"Right…" Rangiku replied as she gripped the cloth covering her motionless legs with her hands and Orihime rushed towards her _"…Gin…Toushirou…I'm so sorry…"_

*The Skies Above*

"Looks like the kid's been taken out" Shinji sighed "it would've been nice to have him help us out, that spiritual pressure was something out."

"Don't worry about it Shinji" Alexander stated calmly "Retsu's a good doctor, he'll be on his feet in no time."

"_Calling Captain Unohana by her first name?"_ Shinji thought in disbelief at his phrase _"you've come a long way since leaving us"_ he watched as his comrade rushed towards his former lieutenant _"the Fifth Squad seems to attract so interesting individuals"_ he followed after Alexander.

"Now this is amusing" Aizen stated as Alexander swung down with Nehan forcing Aizen to block by holding his sword horizontally "both my predecessor and successor attacking me at once" Alexander thrust Kokuhyou towards him from beneath his sword forcing Aizen to sidestep in order to avoid having a blade driven through his heart, Aizen was about to follow it up with a swipe of his own but Shinji swung his sword down forcing him to retreat backwards "and you've both gained such powers because of me" Aizen smirked "perhaps you should be thanking me?"

"You son of a…" Shinji hissed but was cut off when he saw Alexander's Nehan flying towards Aizen who had to swing his own blade upwards to deflect the sword into the air, his eyes shrank when Alexander appeared in front of him with Kokuhyou raised up prepared to strike with both hands wrapped around the blade.

"_Kendo?"_ Aizen thought in alarm as he tried to prepare a block but couldn't as Alexander swung Kokuhyou down on him with every last ounce of strength he could muster resulting in a large explosion which sent Aizen flying backwards.

"Limit of the thousand hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness" Alexander began to chant as he caught Nehan with his left hand and crossed his blades "shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky" he continued as Aizen crashed through a replica sky scraper causing it to collapse "the road that basks in light, the wind that ignites the embers, time that gathers when both are together" Aizen crashed through a second towering structure and it too began to collapse "there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders. Light bullets, eight bodies" Aizen crashed through a third sky scraper and like the two before it they began to collapse from the impact "nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower. Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired" Aizen crashed into the streets below and kicked up a large amount of dust and debris which quickly formed into a mushroom cloud about thirty stories in height as Alexander's hands began to glow with an intense white light "Hadou 91: Senju Koten Taiho" several spears of light appeared and in an instant struck Aizen at the bottom of the crater he had just made resulting in an even huger explosion which put the previous one to shame.

"Damn, you're a scary guy" Shinji stated "last time we met the highest you could go was sixty three, and now you're using ninety one…" the dust cloud reached into the sky and began to block out the sun causing the entire city to darken tremendously "…what's the matter, cat got your tongue?"

"_Thank God this isn't the real Karakura town or the Seireitei…there's no way I could have used number ninety one in either case"_ Alexander thought as every building within a ten block radius collapsed due to the shock wave and he focused his eyes towards the epicenter of the explosion without lowering his guard or even thinking about removing his mask.

"Did you get him?" Shunsui asked as he and Ichigo appeared next to them.

"Damn it" Alexander swore "he's still alive!"

"Are you kidding?" Ichigo asked in disbelief as he pointed towards the cloud "I saw him take a direct hit, how the hell can he be alive?"

"He's right" Shinji stated "you and Ichigo aren't fooled by his illusions and I can assure you there's nothing that can survive that, not even a vizard or an arrancar!" Shinji froze as the sound of a soft clap filled the air "impossible!"

"Bankai" Alexander chanted as his kimono changed to a black wizard's cloak, his hair turned a light blonde, a pair of angel wings formed over his haori, and his swords melded into a single large crescent blade the size of his body "Hakumeitenshi Kokuhyou and Nehan!"

"Most astounding" Aizen's voice echoed from within the fog of smoke and dust "I see why you were chosen as my successor" a small human sized tunnel formed within the cloud and on the other side was Sousuke Aizen "a year ago that most certainly would have killed me."

Aizen began to approach them and though he was still breathing his mask had vanished, his left arm appeared to have been shattered in at least three different spots, his back was exposed and covered in cuts due the impacts he had just experienced, his right foot was gone from about half way before the knee, a large gash on his forehead was pouring blood over his face; but worst of all for Aizen was his torso. Aizen's torso was literally punched full of holes the largest ones were over his right pectoral and his left side, all of which were bleeding heavily.

"You're a stubborn one Sousuke" Shunsui sighed as his limbs began to regenerate.

"You sound distraught Captain Kyouraku" Aizen chuckled as several pieces of shrapnel were expelled from his body and he turned his gaze towards Alexander "I must say getting cut by your Kokuhyou is as painful as all the stories claim…" the holes in his torso began to close "…even though the impact from those buildings and the ground tore my body to shreds and your kidou spell had enough force to level a small town behind it all I feel is the pain as if my entire nervous system was set on fire…" the holes sealed themselves and Aizen raised his left arm to wipe the blood off his face "…you're a frightening man, Captain Dark-Heart."

"Wait it a minute" Ichigo began in confusion as he looked at Aizen's rejuvenated body "high speed regeneration doesn't work on a person's internal organs, Ulquiorra told me!"

"This isn't high speed regeneration" Aizen stated in amusement "shall I explain it to you Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"I never thought I'd say this to another man" Alexander cut in "but why don't you let us take a look at that chest of yours?" Aizen smirked as he turned his gaze towards his successor "in particular that region over the cavity where your heart is supposed to be."

"You have very good eyes" Aizen replied in amusement as he discarded his jacket "and here I was hoping to reveal it my own pace" just over his heart shined the black light of the Hogyoku.

"What the hell have you done?" Shinji asked in disbelief.

"From the moment he arrived his spiritual energy from within his body seemed off" Alexander explained "it wasn't like a shinigami or a hollow, nor was it anything like a vizard or arrancar; I suspected that at some point Aizen must have fused with the Hogyoku, which explains where all his energy is coming from despite having fought against Head Captain Yamamoto and so many other powerful warriors."

"He's insane" Shinji stated at a loss for any other words "he's absolutely insane, how could someone merge with something like that?"

"You said it yourself Captain Hirako, not even a vizard or an arrancar could have survived that last barrage" Aizen began as the glow from the Hogyoku intensified "by merging with the Hogyoku I have become a God!" Shunsui appeared next to him and swung his swords in a spinning motion but Aizen leapt out of the way at the last second "that was very rude of you Captain Kyouraku."

"Sorry, but I find it so hard to listen when it's a man talking" Shunsui sighed as a strange white material similar in appearance to the masks Ichigo and Alexander were wearing spewed forth from the Hogyoku and began to encase his body "I have such a short attention span when the speaker isn't an attractive lady."

"You should so more respect for your God" Aizen replied but froze when a familiar form appeared right behind him.

"How ironic" Elaina stated as her limbs began to glow from the power of her bankai "vanity might just be the ugliest sin in the human heart" she gazed at him through her slited irises before slamming into his jaw with a right hook which sent him wheeling back.

As Aizen recovered Elaina appeared in front of him and unleashed a barrage of punches on his face sending waves of blood splashing off in various directions before she grabbed him by the back of his head and alternated between slamming his face into her left and right kneecaps.

"Now die already!" Elaina hissed as black energy began to shoot out from his limbs and she readied her right arm "Oninakigoe!" she slammed her fist into Aizen's stomach sending Aizen flying backwards.

"Is that all?" Aizen chuckled but froze when Alexander appeared behind him and slashed him across his back with the crescent blade leaving a large gash across Aizen's body.

"I'm not done yet" Alexander declared before unleashing a fury of swipes on the man he had replaced as Captain of Squad Five "you've grown careless Aizen" several more swings of his sword dug into Aizen's flesh "no matter what kind of powers you may gain, what you seek is beyond your reach" the attacks continued "the role of God…" he slammed his blade through Aizen's left shoulder "…cannot be filled by any man…" he withdrew his blade "…may you rot in Hell."

"Don't you know?" Aizen asked as his wounds began to heal and his body began to encase itself in a white plaster like material causing both Dark-Hearts to jump back "I thought you of all people would understand that Hell is something you carry on inside your own heart and soul" his body was immediately encased in the strange white material giving him the appearance of a phantom like being wearing a white cloak split into four sections where the Hogyoku rested over his chest, even his face was now covered in the white material "though I must say the two of you are something else; father and daughter, angel and demon, fighting side by side in a futile attempt to dethrone the new God of the world."

"You truly are a fool Aizen" Elaina spat "you're so blinded by your arrogance that you fail to see the truth" she smirked devilishly as she focused her gaze on Aizen's chest "right now all that twisted energy from the Hogyoku is invading your body "keep this up and sooner or later it'll destroy you from the inside out" Aizen let off a wave of spirit energy so strong it put all of his past displays to shame.

"Your concern is flattering but entirely misplaced, Elaina Dark-Heart" Aizen replied calmly.

"_Damn it"_ Alexander swore in his mind _"Hadou 91 didn't have enough firepower to finish him off, to make matters worse he quickly regenerated all the damage I managed to inflict on him…there's no other option, we have to remove the Hogyoku from his chest or he'll never go down…"_ the Hogyoku began to sink beneath the white plates of armor _"…at this range there's no way I can hope to hit with another Hadou 91 and there's simply no way my cero has the kind of firepower we need…"_ he glanced at the crescent blade in his hand before deciding _"…that leaves me with only one option…"_ he turned his gaze towards his allies "Elaina, Ichigo, Shinji, Captain Kyouraku please keep him busy for as long as you can!"

"What the Hell did you just say?" Ichigo asked at his sudden request.

"Just keep him off me for a minute or two, then when I give the command get as far away from Aizen as you possibly can" Alexander replied through gritted teeth.

"Dad are you planning to use?" Elaina asked in disbelief and her father nodded "understood."

"We need to remove the Hogyoku from his body or this will go on forever" Alexander stated.

"Can this trick of yours work?" Shinji asked and Alexander nodded "fine then, we'll play along, just make sure it does work."

"You won't have any hard feelings if one of us cuts the Hogyoku out of his chest I hope" Shunsui replied.

"To be honest I'd be relieved" Alexander stated "I'm not certain but in my current state using this could very well cause a cataclysm" with a flap of his wings Alexander flew back as he began his preparations.

"A cataclysm huh?" Shunsui sighed as he and his three comrades turned their gazes on Aizen who was waiting patiently with an air of amusement about him _"you really are too much"_ they leapt upon their opponent hoping to end the war once and for all.

"_I had hoped that I would never have to use this, it's simply too much power to entrusted to a creature like me who's killed so many innocent people"_ Alexander thought as his spiritual pressure began to rise and he grabbed the handle of his sword with both hands _"but to protect many more innocent lives I have no choice…"_

"_Yahoo! It's about damn time"_ his inner hollow echoed from within his mind _"First you let me loose for the first time in decades and now you're going to use it, this day just can't get any…"_

"_Shut up, providing sadistic lines is my job you pale faced freak!"_ Kokuhyou declared as she and Nehan pinned him to the ground _"let her rip kid!"_

"_We've got your back master"_ Nehan assured him.

"…_Alright then, let's do this"_ Alexander focused his gaze on Aizen _"the last and mightiest of the Seven Spells of Sin and Virtue, the spell that corresponds to my sin…the spell of Wrath and…"_

"You're not getting past me Aizen!" Ichigo stated as he swung his sword down on Aizen digging into his left shoulder "damn it this is stuff is solid!"

"Move Ichigo" Shunsui commanded as he leapt in front of Aizen and crossed his arms before calmly saying "white" Ichigo leapt out of the way as Shunsui swung his blades across Aizen's chest cutting into his chest shooting out a stream of blood _"how annoying, too shallow…"_

"Black" Aizen replied in amusement as the cuts on his shoulder and chest healed almost instantaneously before swinging his sword horizontally, Shunsui leapt back as quickly as he could however the blade swept across Shunsui's chest causing a large amount of blood to spill from the wound "that's an amusing Zanpakutou Captain Kyouraku, amusing but dangerous."

"_If I hadn't initiated Irooni this would only have been a rather large paper cut"_ Shunsui thought in frustration _"you really love to jerk me around Katen Kyoukotsu."_

Elaina rushed towards Aizen and aimed both her feet towards his face, Aizen raised his sword to block her assault but was suddenly struck in the back of the head by the young woman's attack. Aizen peaked out of the cornor of his eye to see Shinji spinning his Sakenade around as Elaina slammed into him repeatedly.

"_This isn't working, my Bankai's no good at cutting"_ Elaina thought in frustration as she continued to pound into Aizen's body but she felt as if she was punching lead with her bare hands _"not sure how much longer I can keep this up."_

"Is that all?" Aizen asked in a mocking tone.

"Screw you!" Elaina hissed as she landed a punch into his jaw, Aizen swung his blade vertically cutting into her stomach forcing her back "asshole!" 

Ichigo dashed towards Aizen and unleashed a fury of strikes which Aizen blocked with his own blade before deflecting a final thrust from Ichigo and unleashing a barrage of his own. Ichigo had to take several steps back to avoid being run through however Aizen wasn't going to allow him any openings to escape.

"_It's okay"_ Ichigo thought as he dodged one thrust after another _"just stay calm, look for an opening, and then"_ he saw his opportunity and grabbed Aizen's right wrist with his left hand, Ichigo held out his sword which was immediately engulfed in black energy _"take him down!"_ he thrust his Tensa Zangetsu into Aizen's chest causing the white plates covering the Hogyoku to begin to crack as the black energy began to drill into Aizen's armor.

"Luring me into attacking so you could grab my wrist and keep me from swinging my sword" Aizen began in amusement as Ichigo continued to thrust his sword trying carve out the Hogyoku "however you've left yourself open" he thrust his left hand towards Ichigo's face who bent his neck just in time as Aizen's fingers tore off the top right section of his mask "in this form my hands are daggers" Shunsui immediately appeared in front of him and slashed at the crack in Aizen's chest trying to keep it from healing "that's right your game is still in effect" he swung his sword towards Shunsui who blocked it just in time with his short-sword before thrusting his katana into the opening and leaping back before Aizen could over power him.

"Damn, too shallow" Shunsui cursed calmly as the wind generated by the force of Aizen's swing blew in his face just before one of his allies rushed passed him and towards Aizen "I leave it to you young lady."

"Thanks for giving me something to work with" Elaina replied as she grabbed Aizen's wrist with her right hand so tightly it would have been snapped from his arm if he had still been a shinigami and raised her left hand with the palm open _"let's see what happens when I put my force behind that blade in your chest!"_ she slammed her left palm into the bottom of Shunsui's sword as hard as she could causing Aizen to cough up blood as the blade ran straight through his torso, Elaina smirked when out of the corner of her eye she saw a black light shining from inside the wound _"you're dead Aizen"_ she thought as she was about to make a grab for it but was forced to stopped when Aizen raised his left hand with a small white orb at the tip of his fingers, Elaina let go of his wrist and descended just in time to avoid being obliterated by a snow white cero.

"_I've…been playing around too much with them"_ Aizen thought angrily.

"He's open, finish him off you freak!" Elaina called out causing Aizen to gasp in surprise as his former Captain planted his shins on top of his shoulders and wedged his katana right above Aizen's precious stone.

"Tch, calling me a freak when you have those crazy tattoos and those scary eyes…how big of hypocrite are you?" Shinji replied as he began to pry the Hogyoku from its improvised resting place "but I can't complain" he grabbed the handle with both hands before pushing on it even harder "I'll see you in hell Aizen."

"It would seem that play time has come to end" Aizen stated as he swung his sword upward in an attempt to sever Shinji's arms from his body forcing the blonde to perform a front flip and fall back removing his sword from Aizen's chest in the process "I'll admit, the four of you are extraordinary" he pulled Shunsui's sword from his chest with his left hand resulting in a large spray of blood just before the wound began to close and he threw it to the ground creating a shock wave which shattered all the windows in every building in five block radius "to think that two lowly shinigami and a pair of shoddy arrancar wannabes nearly toppled the new God of this world, truly commendable!" suddenly Aizen froze as the skies which had been clear and a normal shade of blue had changed to a shade of red which most closely resembled blood and the clouds had turned black as volcanic ash "what, what is this?" Aizen asked in disbelief when suddenly his sight locked in on his successor who's spiritual pressure was climbing off the charts "of course they were only meant to stall me so that he could…"

"The most destructive of the Seven Deadly Sins, Wrath" Elaina chuckled "how poetic, you seem to be getting your first true taste of it right before my dad incinerates you with it."

Aizen thought back to Alexander's use of kendo and his follow up spell from earlier _"in the past whenever a shinigami used Hadou 91 he'd be subject to a hearing in front of the entire Central Forty Six in order to prove it was necessary and justified due to the sheer danger involved in casting it and large scale destruction it can cause, and if a shinigami was unable to convince them he was to be executed immediately…"_

"…_in my current state this could very well cause a cataclysm"_ Alexander's voice ringed in Aizen's memory.

"_Too want to avoid using this spell when he used Hadou 91 so willingly…it must be truly destructive, I can't afford to get hit by it!"_ Aizen continued his thought as he focused on Alexander but saw his four enemies standing between him and his goal _"there's no way I can get past them in time, I have no choice!"_ Aizen positioned his body sideways with his left shoulder facing his opponents as he raised his sword with both hands, the blade pointing directly towards the new Captain of Squad Five _"how ironic that after receiving the power of a god from the Hogyoku, I'm forced to use the power of a lowly shinigami."_

"Get ready" Shunsui commanded as he switched his short-sword to his right hand and the other three took their stances "I've got a bad feeling about this…"

"Bankai Kontangoumon (Soul Torture) Kyouka Suigetsu!" Aizen chanted with a smile behind the mask _"though I'll admit this power is one that I thoroughly enjoy."_

*With Alexander*

"_I'm almost there!"_ Alexander thought as he continued to cite the incantation and his right arm began to glow with black energy "…my right arm is the undying Wrath which breeds hatred and ignorance, which in turn gives birth to war!" his left arm began to glow with an equally strong white light as he chanted "my left arm is the…" he was cut off when he was suddenly surrounded in a prism of mirrors and everything went black _"what the hell is this?"_ suddenly the scene changed to a grassy field in the middle of a forest next to a set of railroad tracks on a dark and quite night _"where's Aizen, where is Elaina and the others? Better yet where am I?"_ suddenly a loud whistle caught the Captain's attention _"is that a train I'm hearing?"_

*With Ichigo and the others*

"What the hell is that?" Ichigo asked in alarm before suddenly a loud scream filled the air from inside the mirrors.

"Dad?" Elaina replied in concern as the mirrors disappeared revealing her father to be standing with his torso leaning forward and though physically he appeared to be unharmed he was shaking furiously.

"I'm…sorry…" Alexander as he dropped his sword which quickly split into a pair of katana as his kimono returned to normal, his wings vanished, his hair and eyes returned to normal, and his mask vanished "…I…can…never…be…" the skies returned to normal and Alexander began to pass out as he plummeted to the city below "…forgiven…"

"What the hell did you do to him?" Shinji asked in a disgusted tone.

"There you go again using the word 'hell' so lightly" Aizen replied in amusement "don't worry, perhaps I'll show you once I can use that technique again, it shouldn't be too long especially since I've evolved, but still it takes up so much energy so I'd rather not use it in rapid succession if I can help it" Aizen chuckled beneath his new mask.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Elaina swore as she rushed towards Aizen with tears streaming from her eyes just before she grabbed Aizen's face with her left hand and his neck with her right "I'LL TEAR YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!"

"Damn it" Shinji swore as Aizen slashed Elaina across her torso and sent her falling to the ground below right after her father.

"And that leaves three to go" Aizen stated as Kyouraku appeared behind him and swung down with his short-sword with his left hand forcing Aizen to raise his Zanpakutou to block it, Shunsui smirked as he lunged his long-sword through the partially opened wound in Aizen's chest from earlier causing Aizen to cough up blood from the impact "so you used the chaos from the Dark-Hearts' to retrieve your other sword?"

"What can I say?" Shunsui asked as he twisted his right wrist and his sword subsequently "I wanted to make sure I could hit you…"

Aizen smirked beneath his visor before chuckling "I'm glad I've decided to quit playing around."

"_Playing around?"_ Shunsui thought in alarm.

"Captain Kyouraku what the hell are you doing?" Ichigo yelled out.

"Damn" Shunsui swore softly as the Aizen in front of him seemed to shatter and the real one appeared behind him and slashed him across his back "looks like I got careless myself" the eighth squad's captain fell to the Earth below.

"Indeed you did" Aizen replied just before Shinji appeared behind him with his blade raised prepared to slice Aizen's head off only to be stopped in its tracks when Aizen grabbed Shinji's wrist "why not? After all I showed it to my successor, it's only fair I let my predecessor see it as well" Shinji's eyes opened widely as Aizen pointed his blade right at Shinji's forehead and chanted "Bankai Kontangoumon Kyouka Suigetsu."

"_What now?"_ Shinji wondered in alarm as Aizen vanished from his sight and several mirrors encased him before everything went black _"am I dead? No, this is something else entirely"_ suddenly the pitch black turned into a forest in the middle of the night "where the hell am I?" suddenly several loud screams filled the air _"wait a minute is that?"_

Moments later the mirrors disappeared revealing a slouching and horror stricken Shinji who like Alexander before him was shaking uncontrollably with his eyes wide open in defeat.

"How fragile" Aizen commented as Shinji dropped his Zanpakutou and began his own fall.

"Bastard what did you do to him?" Ichigo asked in disgust.

"Would you care for a demonstration, Ichigo Kurosaki?" Aizen inquired in a mocking tone.

"_Can't let him get to me"_ Ichigo thought as he focused on Aizen like a laser _"this guy excels at playing mind games, if I let him in my head it's all over"_ suddenly Ichigo was struck by realization _"can it be? Of course the spiritual pressure he and the rest of have been giving off must have scared away all the other hollows, which means…"_ he disappeared with a shunpo and reappeared over a dozen yards above Aizen with his sword swelling with energy "Getsuga Tenshou!" he swung his sword slamming Aizen with a black arc of intense energy which threw him to the ground with Ichigo in close pursuit.

"Your determination is admirable" Aizen stated as he dug himself out of the small crater "but what chance do you think you stand against me alone?"

"Who says I'm alone?" Ichigo responded when suddenly they both felt a crushing spiritual pressure weighing down on them _"no matter how many times I see it, it still amazes me"_ Ichigo thought as Kenpachi Zaraki literally shot out from a nearby street corner surrounded in his own violent yellow aura before locking blades with Aizen with such force it sent a shock wave so powerful it shattered every window within a five block radius, when the dust cleared the two men were standing next to each other sparks flying off their blades and Kenpachi's signature smirk decorated his face.

"You're as strong as ever Captain Zaraki" Aizen chuckled.

"I have to admit" Kenpachi began as he pushed down a little harder on his sword "out of all the Captains from a year ago you were the last one I expected to have the power to provide me with some entertainment."

"Come now Captain, surely even you should know better than to judge a book by its cover" Aizen replied.

"Shut up and let's have some fun!" Kenpachi declared as he parried Aizen's blade upward and swung his sword horizontally into Aizen's chest sending him flying back into a building.

"Go Kenny" Yachiru cheered as she appeared next to Ichigo.

"_These guys really are too much…"_ Ichigo thought dully as the two behemoths went at one another, moments later they shot out from the building and continued to trade sword slashes with one another _"…okay now I need to look for an opening for me to join in without getting mowed down by Kenpachi"_ he sensed several familiar spiritual pressures causing him to smirk _"looks like I'm not the only one thinking along those lines…"_

"Roar Zabimaru!" Renji called out as he leapt into the air and sending the tip of his shikai rushing towards Aizen's back causing a small dust explosion.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Renji?" Kenpachi asked as the smoke cleared revealing Aizen to have been unphased by the attack "you used to be in my squad so you should know better than to intrude on one of my fights."

"Honestly" a monotone voice called out as Byakuya and Rukia appeared nearby the former looking down on both Aizen and Kenpachi dismissively "if you can't finish him off then stand aside Zaraki."

"Is that a challenge Byakuya Kuchki?" Kenpachi inquired, Byakuya merely looked down on him causing Kenpachi to chuckle "fine then, but don't blame me if end up killing you!" Kenpachi renewed his assault against Aizen.

Ichigo, Renji, Byakuya, Rukia, and Kenpachi continued to assault Aizen for several minutes but to no avail. Rukia lacked the physical strength to do any damage against Aizen up close and due to the clutter of fighters so close to Aizen she couldn't use any of her Sode No Shirayuki's dances without hurting her comrades. Renji tried to attack from a distance with his shikai but Aizen's armor was too thick for him to do any damage and he couldn't use his Bankai since everyone was in his way. And Byakuya was having trouble moving in for an attack since Kenpachi seemed to get in his way every single time.

Kenpachi grabbed Aizen's right wrist and severed his arm from his body with a single twist, his grin only seemed to expand as blood sprayed his face and he lunged his rusted sword through Aizen's heart, the monstrous Captain was breathing heavily in content "that was the best fight I've ever had."

"Glad you enjoyed it" Aizen stated just before he shattered in front of Kenpachi's gaze before a pair of large holes appeared in Kenpachi's upper torso.

"Damn it Kenpachi" Ichigo swore.

"Ichigo grab him!" Rukia commanded just before Ichigo leapt forward and grabbed Kenpachi "first dance Tsukishiro!" Ichigo vanished just before the ground and heavens surrounding Aizen were encased in ice along with the former shinigami.

"Come now did you honestly believe this would be enough Rukia Kuchki?" Aizen asked as the ice shattered around him.

Rukia smirked before saying "honestly, no that wasn't the point" Renji held his sword with both hands as it began to glow an intense dark red.

"Bankai Hihiou Zabimaru!" Renji cried as a gigantic bone serpent rushed towards Aizen and bit down onto him before dragging him back into the sky, Aizen watched in mild amusement as the mouth of the beast began to glow dark red "Hikutso Taiho!"

"You've grown Renji" Aizen stated calmly as he swung his sword splitting the blast and Renji's Bankai in two, Renji's eyes shot open in shock as he watched his bankai literally split down the middle before Aizen appeared in front of him and stabbed him through his abdomen "but you're still no match for me" Rukia watched in horror as Renji collapsed once Aizen removed his blade and turned his gaze towards her "perhaps I should finish you off now, Rukia Kuchki…" he was cut off when by what appeared to be a swarm of lotus petals and another Getsuga Tenshou forcing him to leap back into an open area he focused his gaze on Rukia and Renji as Byakuya and Ichigo appeared next to them "…how ironic, to think the two of you would be teaming up" what happened next earnestly shocked Aizen to say the least.

Out of nowhere Nemu Kurotsuchi appeared in front of and grabbed both his wrists, her hands were glowing bright green and Aizen's arms soon turned the same color. Aizen tried to throw the young woman off but he was having difficulty moving his arms.

"What is this?" Aizen asked in alarm "what has that madman concocted now?"

"This is a poison that **I** developed Aizen" Nemu began "by applying it around your wrists I've effectively halted the flow of your spiritual energy."

"That's impressive, but what good will that do you if it can't kill me?" Aizen replied as he struggled to look down at his hands "look your little concoction is already starting to run its course and I don't care who **made** you or how much you're **like** him, you don't stand a chance against me in combat."

Nemu turned her head to her right before asking "are you almost done Quincy?"

"I am get away now Nemu!" a calm voice called out causing Aizen's eyes to pop open in shock as he turned to see Uryuu standing over one of his Seele Schneiders which had been driven into the ground with a Ginto in his left hand "it's over Aizen" Nemu jumped away from Aizen and landed next to him as he poured a small amount of shining liquid onto the top of the handle and Aizen was quickly engulfed in a pentagram of bright white light.

"You're starting to annoy me" Aizen stated causing both the shinigami and the quincy to turn in shock as a shockwave approached them from the pentagram.

"_Damn it I let my guard down!" _Uryuu swore in his mind as it approached him _"it's too late…" _his train of thought was cut off as Nemu threw herself in front of him and absorbed the bulk of the impact before the force slammed her into Uryuu and they were both knocked out after crashing into a concrete slab.

"Such pitiful beings" Aizen sighed when suddenly three additional faces that he recognized appeared "speaking of which…you three look like you've been living in a garbage dump for years, to think that a former Espada would be reduced to such rags and what is up with your Fracción and their new appearances?"

"Aizen, tell me something" Nelliel began "I understand many years have passed since you came to us in Hueco Mundo but when you first came to us it was with the promise that once you obtained the Hogyoku you'd use it to create a new future for us."

"What of it?" Aizen asked.

"What happened to Starrk, Barragan, and the rest of the Espada?" Nelliel demanded.

"Can't you tell?" Aizen replied "they all died because they were too weak, in fact your successor to the rank of 3rd Espada Tia Harribel fell to my sword shortly before you arrived."

"How could you?" Nelliel spat out in disgust.

"I suppose there's no point in denying it any further" Aizen chuckled "the truth is I enlisted the aid of you and the Espada so that I could steal the Hogyoku and use it to complete my evolution."

"You mean?" Neliel asked through gritted teeth.

"Indeed, from the very beginning you, the Espada, and the other arrancar were all completely expendable" Aizen answered "and now that I've completed my evolution I have no further use for you or anyone else."

"How dare you use our master" Pesche called out "and what's worse you've hurt my friend Uryuu!"

"Let's get him Pesche!" Dondochakka called out as Pesche leapt on top of him and the two began to charge up their Cero Sincretico.

"How pointless" Aizen stated calmly as he let out some of his spiritual pressure which alarmed his former subordinate.

"Don't!" Nelliel tried to warn her friends but was too late, Aizen appeared in front of them and literally split them down the middle "Aizen!" Nelliel cried as she rushed towards him with her sword drawn and yelled "DECLARE GAMUZA!" she had tears flowing from her eyes as she changed into a centaur.

"How unsightly" Aizen replied as he knocked her aside with his free hand "while enjoyed seeing you again, you really should be leaving now" Aizen raised his left hand which began to glow white before firing a white cero resulting in a large explosion.

The dust cleared revealing Sado Yasutora standing over her with his right arm transformed which appeared to have a large shield like appendage growing out of it.

"Brazo derecho del gigante" Sado said softly as he shook off the dust from the explosion.

"Chad" Nelliel replied in shock.

"I'm sorry Nell" Sado stated softly "I'm not as fast as you or Uryuu, I couldn't save your friends."

"There's no point in apologizing" Aizen assured him "after all the two of you are no match for me, and your shinigami friends are under my hypnosis, they can't help you now."

"Bankai" a monotone voice called out as the space around turned jet black and four rows of glowing pink katana surrounded them "Senkei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi" Aizen turned his gaze towards Byakuya who was standing next to Ichigo.

"Do you honestly think you can do anything against me?" Aizen asked amused at the younger man's attempt to retaliate "what's more you're willing to work with a human, a shinigami representative, and an arrancar?"

Byakuya turned his gaze towards the former Espada who simply eyed him intensely but he should no signs of emotion towards her before saying "given your actions here I can more or less guarantee that our **new** Head Captain will be willing to grant you asylum once this is over" he then looked at Ichigo and Sado before saying "don't get in my way if you wish to live."

"Cheeky bastard" Ichigo swore before leaping above Aizen and preparing another swing "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Aizen raised his sword to shield against the attack, once the black energy disappeared Byakuya appeared behind him and slashed him across his back however no blood shot out since the cut was so shallow. Aizen smirked before apparently shattering in front of Byakuya.

"How disgraceful" Byakuya stated as a second katana manifested itself upside down in his left hand before he performed a backwards stabbing motion which caught Aizen in the stomach "to think a heathen like you was once a Captain."

"How?" Aizen asked in disbelief "you've witnessed my shikai!"

"There are two reasons why I've used my Senkei" Byakuya began as he twisted the sword in Aizen's stomach "the first is because it compresses all my sword fragments in order to explosively increase my killing capabilities, your armor may be tough but it can't stop my sword completely" Byakuya tried to raise his blade upwards towards Aizen's heart "and the second is because it traps my enemy in a confined space and no matter what happens, so long as I still breath my Bankai can trace the movements of all those within" the blade began to make slow but stead progress upwards "do see now Aizen? It doesn't matter what you do, even if you throw off all five of my senses, so long as you remain in here my blade will find you no matter what you try!"

"Stop Byakuya, you're hurting me!" a female voice called out causing Byakuya to open his eyes in shock as he saw himself face to face with his dead wife "…please…" Byakuya's face contorted slightly in disgust as he grabbed the handle with his right hand and began to put all his strength into forcing the blade upwards causing 'Hisana' to scream in agony.

"You'll pay dearly for using Hisana's image!" Byakuya hissed as she leapt back to free herself from the blade and turned back into Sousuke Aizen.

"Exceptional" Aizen stated in approval "not even the image of your beloved wife could stop you, we really are alike."

"Don't flatter yourself" Byakuya replied as Sado appeared behind Aizen his left arm transformed "we're nothing alike."

"La Muerte!" Sado cried as his left finger tips began to glow and he slammed them into the middle of Aizen's back.

Aizen turned his gaze towards the young giant before he heard the sound of galloping hooves drawing his attention back to his front where Nelliel was dashing towards him as she raised her arm "Lanzador Verde!" and threw her lance which began to drill into his chest on impact causing Aizen to begin shaking in pain from the two forces which threatened to tear him apart from both his front and his back.

"Byakuya let's finish him off" Ichigo called out as his sword was engulfed in black energy and he raced towards Aizen from his right.

"I don't answer to you, boy" Byakuya replied as his own sword was engulfed in white energy which spread out to his sides and formed a pair of pure white angel wings "Shukei Hakuteikan!" with a single flap of his wings Byakuya rushed towards Aizen from his left.

The white and black masses of energy converged on opposite sides of Aizen's neck causing a massive explosion which immediately filled Byakuya's Senkei with dust and debris. About a minute passed before it cleared and the four allies emerged from the rubble covered in scrapes and bruises. Nelliel tried to stand up but fell to her knees as she lost the energy to maintain her release, the same was true of Sado who collapsed on the ground nearby from exhaustion and his arms returned to normal. Ichigo and Byakuya were both using their swords to maintain their balance, the former had lost his mask while the latter had no choice but recall his bankai or die from exhausting his spirit energy.

"Please tell, that we killed him" Ichigo said through his heavy breathing as the dust cleared "damn it" he swore as Aizen emerged with a skull shaped imprint on his back, a swirling hole in his chest and the bulk of his neck missing on both sides; all of these injuries were bleeding heavily.

"A valiant effort" Aizen breathed out as his wounds began to heal and he slowly walked towards Nelliel who was looking up at him with an intense loathing _"this is bad, the Hogyoku isn't reenergizing me or healing my injuries as quickly as before, I need to end this now"_ he raised up his sword prepared to execute Nelliel but stopped when the skies blackened, thunder filled the air, the winds quickly began to pick up force, and temperature plummeted _"not now!"_

"Reign over the frosted frozen heavens Hyourinmaru!" a familiar voice called out just before a massive ice dragon raced towards Aizen forcing him to leap back to avoid it, seconds later the dragon shattered and Toushirou landed next to Nelliel "what the hell is up with you and targeting women Aizen? You make me sick!" though he didn't appear different at first glance the young shinigami's spiritual pressure seemed to have doubled from earlier, in addition to being stronger it seemed to be more in control than it had been previously despite the drastic increase in strength, over the young man's forehead was the outline of a demonic eye while his turquoise eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Aizen began to laugh hysterically at his sudden appearance "rushing in to save a woman in danger, you haven't changed a bit" he looked Toushirou dead in the eye "right down to your inability to save the women who are…" he was cut off when Toushirou leapt towards him and swung his sword down with such force Aizen had no choice but to fall back to avoid being killed, however his left hand was severed from his body.

"You aren't regenerating as fast as you were before" Toushirou stated.

"You're point?" Aizen inquired.

"No matter what you may try to say, my friends' efforts were **not** in vain" Toushirou replied as he readied his sword "it ends now Aizen!" he swung his sword sending another massive ice dragon towards Aizen which slammed into his front as he attempted to guard against it and was forced into the air as a blizzard began to blanket the entire fake Karakura Town in snow.

*With Retsu and the others*

"Hold still Lieutenant Abarai" Retsu commanded as she finished closing up the red headed Lieutenant's wound "there, that should do it" she along with Isane, Hanataro, and Orihime were busy trying to treat their wounded allies as best they could, she had just gotten around to treating Renji after she had set up a barrier to protect them all from the elements after the new Head Captain unleashed his sword.

"Damn it that was painful" Renji said through gritted teeth as he lost consciousness.

"Captain Unohana, I'm almost done with fourth seat Rammyaku" Hanataro called out as he continued to close the multiple stab wounds through her arms and legs from Gin's Bankai, she let out a screech as the pain woke her back up "I'm sorry."

"It's alright" Youmei let out as she winced from the pain.

"_Kid you are so lucky that Princess has control of our body right now!"_ Savage hissed from inside Youmei's mindscape.

Youmei turned to see Rangiku looking at her causing her to look to her side in shame and say "I'm sorry Lieutenant Matsumoto, Savage was the one who used the technique but it doesn't change the fact that I'm the one who killed Gin…I understand if you hate me."

"Stop" Rangiku replied as tears fell from her eyes and the image of Gin's face passed through her mind "please…"

Retsu sighed as she turned her gaze towards her Lieutenant "How is Elaina's treatment coming along?"

"I'm almost finished closing the wound, but she'll need to rest for at least three days before she can…" Isane began but was cut off.

"Come on now Lieutenant Koutestu, don't sell me short" Elaina said weakly as she tried to sit up but was stopped by Retsu gently placing her hand over her chest signaling her to continue lying down "how's dad?" she asked causing Retsu to take up a more solemn expression "what in Hell's name did Aizen do to him?"

"I don't know" Retsu stated as she turned her gaze towards Alexander and Shinji who were lying on the ground unconscious "physically they're both unharmed, however…" Shinji twitched violently with traces of tears forming in his eyes "…ever since Aizen used his Bankai on them both their heart-rates have been significantly elevated, they've both been tossing in their sleep, heightened rapid eye movement, and they've both been sweating heavily…"

"…signs of intense dreaming" Elaina finished for her and she nodded "or I suspect intense nightmares, he must have shown them something that really shocked them."

"But how?" Hanataro asked "I thought that Captain Dark-Heart had developed a guard against Aizen's illusions."

"Against his shikai yes" Retsu stated "it would seem that Aizen's Bankai, whatever it is, must operate on a different wavelength."

"So that means that Tou…I mean the Head Captain is still vulnerable to this?" Rangiku asked clearly distressed.

"That's correct Lieutenant Matsumoto" Retsu answered calmly as Alexander began to stir "Alex…"

The Captain of Squad Five shot up breathing heavily as beads of sweat fell from his face and his body was shaking uncontrollably from the adrenaline flooding through his system. Retsu quickly ran up to him and placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on his forehead.

"Alex, it's me try to calm down" Retsu said soothingly as he grabbed her wrists reflexively, she winced as he squeezed on both of them with all his strength which was painful to say the least even for her "take a deep breath, you're alright now…it's going to be okay."

"Re…Retsu?" Alexander breathed as his heart rate slowed down to a more normal pace and his wits slowly returned to him, he loosened his grip as Ichigo and Byakuya appeared suddenly holding an unconscious Sado and Nelliel before Shuuhei returned with Nemu and Uryuu _"I see so they too weren't able to stop Aizen…"_ suddenly his eyes opened in alarm "Retsu where is Aizen now?"

"Cap…I mean Head Captain Hitsugaya is currently engaging him in battle" Retsu answered.

"Damn it" Alexander swore as he tried to get up but his legs weren't listening "Retsu you have to warn him, Aizen's Bankai….it….if he uses it, it could mean the end of us all!"

"Calm down" Retsu commanded cutting him off "now take a deep breath and tell me, what **is** Aizen's Bankai?"

*With Toushirou and Aizen*

Toushirou and Aizen crossed blades causing sparks to fly up from their swords before they leapt apart from one another. Toushirou swung his sword horizontally sending a swarm of ice dragons racing towards Aizen. Aizen dodged the beasts with a series of shunpo and swung his own blade in a swirling motion as Toushirou rushed in with one of the dragons and swung down on Aizen and the two locked blades again.

"I must admit, you're good" Aizen stated "you're much stronger and faster than you were before" he parried Toushirou's blade upwards and attempted to cut him down with a follow up attack but Toushirou blocked it with the bottom of his blade at the last moment "even your technique seems to have improved…it's a shame your tenor as the thirty first Head Captain is going to be short lived."

"Aizen" Toushirou hissed through gritted teeth, the hatred in his voice was palpable.

"Can't forgive me can, not after what happened to Momo" Aizen chuckled and Toushirou's eyes narrowed further "what's the matter? Weren't you going to make me pay?"

"Aizen…" Toushirou repeated before Aizen suddenly realized they were surrounded by well over a dozen ice dragons "…shut up!" the mythical beasts let out a thundering roar before rushing towards the duo.

Aizen leapt back as a dragon flying in from the left and attempting to chomp down on the former Captain. He opened his eyes in slight surprise as several approached him from both side which he barely dodged by turning, mid turn he caught eye of several more approaching from below, thinking quickly he leapt upward only to come face to face with yet another dragon. With nowhere to escape to Aizen was frozen in an ice-sickle the size of a skyscraper.

"_Now's my chance!"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he charged in and raised his sword with both hands, just as he was about to strike the ice shattered and Aizen raised his sword horizontally just in time to block Toushirou's swipe "damn it" he swore.

Aizen looked at the younger man intently _"those dragons…"_ he thought back to watching his fight against Harribel _"…while he could use multiple dragons with just his shikai earlier, they all had to follow a similar trajectory, he couldn't have possibly have used them in order to box in his opponent or have broken them up into waves like he did just now, his control wasn't anywhere near precise enough for such a tactic"_ Aizen parried Toushirou's sword and attempted to stab him through the face, however Toushirou tilted his neck just in time to avoid a fatal blow and only received a small cut over his right cheek; Toushirou countered with a spinning swipe which forced Aizen back "not bad but I landed a hit Head Captain Hitsugaya" he mocked.

"So did I Aizen" Toushirou replied.

Aizen's eyes opened in sudden realization when he a small section on his right side split open, Aizen winced slightly at the pain as it slowly began to close "not bad at all" he complimented through gritted teeth.

"That one was for Kaname Tousen" Toushirou stated ignoring Aizen's compliment.

"Excuse me?" Aizen inquired.

"When I first joined the Thirteen Court Guard Squads I lacked a purpose" Toushirou began "I was saddened and broken because of what had happened to me in the prior months, I just wanted to die…but he…Kaname Tousen gave me a reason to fight, he showed me that I had the power to make a difference and the importance of holding a certain measure of fear towards one's own power."

Aizen chuckled before quoting "he who does not fear his own sword has no right to wield a sword at all" he smirked behind his mask before saying "you do realize that it was his 'fear' that he joined me in my cause and betrayed both you and your teacher."

"It is true that he took his 'fear' too far and as a result he was venerable to your influence" Toushirou began as he gripped his sword tightly before turning a rage filled eye towards the **thing** before him "but the one who exploited his 'fear' was you! What happened to him was all you fault!"

"You're too sentimental Toushirou Hitsugaya" Aizen stated before leaping towards him and slashing at him repeatedly forcing him on the defensive "can't you see that your attachments to others has only dragged you down?" Toushirou grabbed his right wrist and slashed Aizen across his chest forcing him back several yards as it began to regenerate "your teacher whom you admired turned out to be nothing more than a cold blooded killer, his daughter constantly mocks and takes every chance to humiliate you, one of your subordinates constantly dragged down your squad because of her own nervousness, Ukitake was too weak and Kuchki was too single minded too catch me, Momo and Kaname betrayed you, and your dear Lieutenant was far too pathetic to shield you from any of my plans…all your friends and loved ones have only let you down Toushirou…" Aizen was cut off as a crescent blade raced towards him and forced Aizen to use a shunpo to avoid having his skull turned into an ice-pop.

"Aizen" Toushirou said coldly as he pulled back on the chain to retrieve his blade, moments later Aizen appeared behind him and prepared to stab him through the back "you're so damn pathetic…" he dodged with a shunpo.

"I'm pathetic?" Aizen asked as Toushirou appeared in front of him and unleashed his own barrage of sword strikes "care to elaborate? I'm strong because I never came to rely on anyone else, by forsaking such trivial attachments such as friendship or camaraderie I was able to evolve into a god, who knows as strong as you are maybe you could do the same!"

"You just don't get it, DO YOU!" Toushirou declared as he and Aizen thrust their blades towards each other's face and dug into their respective cheeks forcing them both to back off "all those people you just mentioned…" he leapt towards Aizen and attempted to stab the Hogyoku but Aizen deflected it before following up with a horizontal swipe which Toushirou barely managed to block "…I only became this strong **because** of them!"

"How pitiful" Aizen replied as they both leapt back and took their stances "your attachments have only brought you pain and suffering, nothing more!" he leapt towards Toushirou and performed a horizontal swipe which cut into Toushirou's forehead forcing him back.

"Kaname Tousen gave me an understanding of the grave implications of the powers I possess" Toushirou stated as he sent another two dragons directly at Aizen who leapt up to avoid them "Jyuushiro Ukitake taught me honor" several more approached Aizen from below as even more came in from the sides surrounding him "Byakuya Kuchki helped me understand the importance of law and order" like earlier a single dragon dropped down on Aizen from above forcing the former Captain of the Fifth to fire a pure white cero which demolished the beast allowing him to escape as the others converged creating a massive tower of ice "and most of all my teacher Alexander Dark-Heart taught me not just how to fight, but the importance of judging one's self and actions critically; by sharing with me his sins and the failures of his past he taught me the importance that no matter what gifts we may have and no matter what kind of powers we gain…" he used a shunpo to get behind Aizen and attempted to stab him through the back using Senka but Aizen blocked his blade at the last moment "…we are **not** gods! We're humans; small, flawed, and imperfect humans who's understanding is limited by their own perspective."

"I guess I was wrong" Aizen stated as they parted blades and separated "if it took four pathetic men to give you this level of power than you simply lack what it takes to be like me" he looked down upon Toushirou before saying "I see why Momo's faith in you was so easily" Toushirou's face contorted slightly to an even angrier expression "and I honestly have no idea what caused Gin to concoct such delusional hopes about you…" Aizen was cut off as Toushirou's spiritual pressure quickly rose and Aizen himself felt the force of its power crushing down on him.

"BANKAI!" Toushirou yelled out at the top of his lungs as he prepared to finally unleash his true power which had remained dormant for all those years, he was immediately engulfed in a large ball of snow big enough to fit over a dozen people inside as the blizzard that his shikai created expanded all the way to the barrier on the outskirts of the fake Karakura town effectively turning the false city into a rectangular snow globe, Aizen watched with a degree of fascination as the snow began to take shape before compressing into solid ice giving the young man a pair of reinforced wings with the wing span of a small fighter jet, both his arms were encased in smooth serpentine ice dragons complete with long horns and whiskers at the head and talons towards the front. His tail grew to about fifteen feet in length and upon closer inspection revealed that it was constructed out of countless ice crystals compressed into scales. His talons now reached down slightly past his feet giving him five dagger like claws on each leg. The ice which in its previous state had only encased his limbs and shoulder had now encased his entire torso in a crystal like armor and even covered the bulk of his neck and a small portion of his cheeks. In his right hand Toushirou held his katana which had a frost mist swirling around the blade. But the greatest estimate to the great amount of power behind this new bankai wasn't so much the presence of any of its current features but by the absence of any purple flowers floating behind him "Touketsukyuusaisha (Frozen Savior) Hyourinmaru!"

"An impressive display" Aizen replied calmly as he looked down upon the boy from above "I confess a part of me always wanted to see it even though I was the one who…" Aizen was interrupted when Toushirou practically materialized in front of him with one mighty flap of his new wings _"…so fast!"_ Toushirou swung sword vertically severing Aizen's left arm from his body _"I'm really starting burn through those" _he noted as he leapt back to avoid Toushirou's follow up, Aizen's eyes opened in shock when he **didn't **feel his arm regenerating causing him to look towards his shoulder to see ice forming over the stump forcing Aizen to focus more of his energy in order to shatter the ice before it could spread _"he's using the ice to slow down my high speed regeneration!"_

"That was for Momo!" Toushirou hissed through gritted teeth before lunging towards his enemy once again and thrusting his blade towards Aizen's side, normally Aizen could have just blocked the thrust but due to the pain of losing his arm he had left himself open resulting in a deep cut over his right leg followed by an icy stalagmite "and that was for Gin!"Aizen looked at him intently through his visor "get used to the pain Aizen, because there's plenty more where that came from; one blow for every innocent soul who's life you've stolen!"

"_This is getting out of hand"_ Aizen thought as his left arm finally regenerated and he shattered the ice over his leg before losing it as well _"that blade of his is too dangerous to take on at close range I need to keep some distance between us!"_

"Get back here Aizen" Toushirou demanded as he flew after Aizen who avoided his swing with a shunpo and used the opening to fire a pure white cero at him forcing Toushirou to shield himself with his wings resulting in a large explosion which caused several fragments to blow off _"fine if this is how you want to play it!"_ Aizen's attention was drawn to the sky as a large hole appeared in the clouds above "Hyoten Hyakkaso!" from the clearing a virtual river of snow poured down over Aizen.

"Bakudou 81: Danku" Aizen chanted creating a clear wall of energy between him and the approaching snow which began to crack the moment the snow made contact, however it did provide Aizen with the time necessary to fire another white cero to his side creating an opening in the snow large enough for him to escape with a shunpo, immediately after he escaped what would have been his frozen funeral Aizen readied his blade just in time as Toushirou attempted to split his head in two with a downward swing "you're determined."

"Of course I am" Toushirou replied as he pushed down with both hands "my duty, my morals, my own personal feelings are in sync with one another" Toushirou head-butted Aizen creating a crack over Aizen's forehead and sending blood trailing down Toushirou's "right now my soul is screaming at me, demanding that I kill you!" Aizen leapt back trying to create some distance between them "and kill you I will!" the aura around his sword intensified "Doragonfubuki! (dragon snow storm)" he swung his sword sending a trail of icy mist towards Aizen before turning into a swarm of over a dozen dragon.

"_They're too fast"_ Aizen thought in alarm as he raised his sword just before the first one slammed into him though the dragon disappeared on impact the sheer force behind it pushed him back over a dozen yards just before the second slammed into him from behind, the barrage continued until the last dragon struck taking out entire section of Aizen's limbs and torso.

But Toushirou wasn't done yet as soon as the last of his dragons struck Aizen he appeared above the man whom he despised more than anyone or anything else and pointed the tip of his blade down towards him and chanted "Yukipa-ji! (snow purge)" a mountain of snow poured down on Aizen crashing him into the streets below, the sheer amount of snow and the massive shockwave the attack caused virtually every building within the fake Karakura town to collapse before being buried underneath a white sheet of snow and ice several minutes later Aizen emerged from beneath the frozen wastes his limbs were barely attached to his torso as they slowly healed "you're finished Aizen" Toushirou said coldly.

"_Alexander Dark-Heart isn't the only one who can use this technique" _Aizen smirked beneath his mask as he called out "…Hadou 91: Senju Koten Taiho!"

"Shit" Toushirou hissed just before several rods of light slammed into his chest resulting in a huge explosion which literally sent him flying back.

After being flung back about two city blocks Toushirou crashed into the snow that his Tenso Jurin and other attacks had generated before his back began to dig into the streets underneath creating a trench approximately twelve blocks in length and deep enough towards the end to dig a city subway system.

Toushirou dug his way out of the ruble and snow, the impact from the spell had effectively destroyed the armor covering his chest and left several large burns across his torso. In addition the contact with street had effectively sheared off his wings and the bulk of the armor off his back covering it in scrapes.

"Damn" Toushirou swore through gritted teeth before regaining some altitude _"one of my lesser Bankais and that would have been fatal."_

"CAPTAIN!" a familiar voice shouted out causing Toushirou to look towards the ground as the voice approached him from behind.

"Rangiku" Toushirou called out as he looked down towards her _"is she alright? Did something else happen?"_

"TOUSHIROU, DON'T LET HIM USE HIS BANKAI!" Rangiku shouted.

"What?" Toushirou replied in confusion before he heard a disturbing chuckle from behind him.

"It's too late Toushirou Hitsugaya" Aizen chuckled "Bankai Kontangoumon Kyouka Suigetsu!"

"Now what?" Toushirou asked through gritted teeth as over a dozen crystal clear mirrors surrounded and encased him before everything went black "show yourself Aizen, you damn coward!"

"Calm yourself Toushirou" Aizen's voice echoed from around him "over the years your teacher Alexander Dark-Heart taught you many ways to kill a man; flesh that burns, veins that sever, bones that shatter, and organs that rupture. But he neglected to teach you one critical lesson Toushirou, to break a man's spirit is to utterly destroy him!" a small amount of light and color appeared in the darkness surrounding Toushirou and began to take shape

"_That's!"_ Toushirou thought in disbelief

"But don't worry, my Bankai makes the perfect tutor…after all…Hell is something we each carry ourselves…" Aizen finished

*Outside*

"TOUSHIROU!" Rangiku cried out in vain as the mirrors sealed him inside, she burst off in a dash towards them but was stopped when Aizen appeared right in front of her "GROWL…" she was cut off when Aizen grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back.

"It was because of you that Gin tried to kill me" Aizen stated in amusement "to think a man like him would throw away his life just to keep you safe and happy."

"Bastard" Rangiku hissed.

"This will be Gin's punishment for deceiving me for all these years" Aizen continued ignoring Rangiku's protests as he let go of her arm and grabbed the back of her head with his left hand "you're going to watch as Toushirou's very spirit is broken just like his teacher and Captain Hirako before him, and then you are going to die; all of Gin's efforts will have been vain!"

"You won't break him" Rangiku replied through gritted teeth "he's not such a weak person to lose his spirit to someone like you!"

"Touching" Aizen stated "but pointless."

"…_please Toushirou, don't let him get to you!" _Rangiku thought desperately as she looked up towards the box of mirrors confining him.

*With Toushirou*

The young Head Captain found himself standing in the middle at the very bottom of the Central Forty Six Chambers. What he found most disturbing was that it wasn't empty like it should have been after Aizen's betrayal, but rather it was completely full; all forty sage's seats and all six judge's seats were filled with a screen in front giving only the outline of their occupants with a kanji printed at the top, towards the bottom stood two young boys dressed in the academy robes.

"This is…it can't be" Toushirou stated in disbelief as he fell to his knees.

"It has been decided" a voice called out from the rows drawing the attention of the two boys.

"Since it is forbidden for two shinigami to possess the same Zanpakutou you must fight for ownership of Hyourinmaru" a voice declared.

"But why?" Kusaka asked desperately "why can't we have the same Zanpakutou?"

"Because it is the law, an ancient law which has been with us for centuries" another member of the Central Forty Six stated.

"In that case let me discard Hyourinmaru" the younger Toushirou begged "that way me and Kusaka won't have to…"

"Silence!" another member cut him off "it is not for you to decide!"

Various calls for them to fight tormented the two young men until eventually Kusaka drew his sword.

"Hitsugaya Hyourinmaru is mine!" Kusaka cried out.

"Kusaka don't!" both Toushirous cried out but to no avail as Kusaka charged towards them and the scene turned black with the sound of metal piercing flesh and the younger Toushirou's scream "KUSAKA!"

"Damn it" the older Toushirou swore weakly as he clenched his blade.

"You took everything from me" a voice called out to him causing Toushirou to look up to see Kusaka impaled upon his sword with a thin trail of blood as the blade ran through his heart.

"Kusaka…" Toushirou said weakly.

"I could have it all" Kusaka continued as he glared down accusingly on Toushirou "glory, fame, honor, recognition" he raised his head slightly "I could have become the Head Captain myself" he slid all the way down the blade to where the guard was pushing up against his chest "but all I got was an early grave" he drew himself up to his face before saying "because **you** killed me!"

"Kusaka!" Toushirou cried out as his old friend disappeared and the setting changed to a familiar training ground _"this is…"_

"That's good, you're improving" a calm voice called out drawing Toushirou's attention to another younger version of himself this one wearing a black kimono sparring with his Captain "but you still need to be quicker."

"Yes sir" the younger Toushirou replied as he tried to perform a shunpo faster than usual and tripped up as a result "damn…"

"You're doing very well" his Captain assured him as he offered his hand "your progress has been nothing short of miraculous."

The younger Toushirou cracked a faint smile before accepting his Captain's aid "I owe it all to Fifth Seat Dark-Heart and to you Captain Tousen."

"We'll pick this up tomorrow" Kaname stated as he headed for their office.

"Yes sir" Toushirou replied as he followed after his Captain.

"_After the Kusaka incident I had given up all hope, all reason"_ the older Toushirou thought solemnly _"but it was thanks to Captain Tousen that I found a reason to move forward…in a way he really saved my soul…"_

"And yet you didn't save mine" Kaname's voice echoed drawing Toushirou's attention back towards his sword and like Kusaka before him Kaname was impaled through his heart at the end "I was desperate that I was willing to believe almost anything" he slowly began to slide down the blade "you were of a similar disposition, so why didn't you notice?" Toushirou felt his pulse begin to race as his former Captain was stopped at his guard "were you too focused on yourself to care about anyone else?" he dipped his right index and middle fingers in his wound before placing them over Toushirou's left cheek and smearing it with his blood "you were such a disappointment" his body shattered into dust leaving Toushirou alone with an expression like he was having a heart attack.

The scene shifted once again to a familiar hut in a small village where two children were playing in the fields.

"Come on try to catch me little Shirou" the girl called out playfully.

"Quit calling me little Shirou!" Toushirou said in annoyance as he tackled her to the ground, she was simply laughing at his antics.

The scene fast-forward to a taller Momo wearing the academy uniform standing over Toushirou who hadn't grown much at all.

"Okay I'm leaving now" Momo stated proudly "I'll be living the dorm rooms from now on but I'll still come by to visit on breaks, so take care little Shirou."

"Stop calling me by that stupid nickname" Toushirou demanded.

"Tell you what, when you attend the same grown up school as me, I'll use your real name" Momo offered.

"Yeah right, who'd want to attend some dumb shinigami school anyway?" Toushirou replied but in truth he wanted to go with all his heart.

Momo ran off towards the gate before shouting back "see you soon Toushirou!"

"Whatever, don't hurry back you bed wetter" Toushirou replied.

"Come now Toushirou" he heard a gentle elderly voice call from behind him "you shouldn't say such things Toushirou."

"Whatever it's not like she'll be gone for long right?" the younger Toushirou replied before the scene darkened once more.

"_Momo…Granny…"_ Toushirou thought as he knew what was coming next.

"Why Toushirou?" his grandmother began as she appeared impaled upon his sword "why didn't you do as I asked?" she began to slide down the blade leaving a trail of blood on the steel "it was dying old woman's last request so why didn't you protect her?"

"I'm…I'm sorry" Toushirou said weakly.

"You're sorry?" he heard Momo ask as she replaced their grandmother "that doesn't cut it little Shirou" she began to slide down his blade "sorry doesn't change the fact that you allowed Aizen to condition me" she grabbed the blade and began to pull herself closer "sorry doesn't make up for the fact that you spent decades messing around with your squad and sleeping with your Lieutenant instead of keeping your word to Granny" she pressed her chest up against the guard and lowered her head to Toushirou's ear before whispering "and sorry didn't keep Gin from turning me into a shish kabob" the image of her kneeling on the ground with Shinsou running her through her heart appeared causing a tear to roll down Toushirou's face "some **Heavenly Guardian** you turned out to be…"

Toushirou's surroundings remained solid black for several moments before eventually he heard the sound of footsteps before a familiar form emerged from the darkness. He was dressed in a shinigami's black kimono in addition to a long white sleeveless haori which seemed to flow down his tall thin figure.

"Hello Toushirou" Gin stated with a mocking politeness.

"Gin" Toushirou said through gritted teeth.

Toushirou was at a loss as to what to feel towards the man in front of him. On the one hand he felt pure hatred towards him for all the grief he had caused Rangiku over the years and for being the one who killed Momo. But on the other he felt great pity towards the man who in fact done all those things solely to protect Rangiku and the Soul Society.

"I gave up everything for you, you know that?" Gin began as he walked towards Toushirou who had his blade pointed right towards his heart and seemed unable to move his arm.

"Gin stop!" Toushirou commanded but his words fell on deaf ears.

"To protect you from Aizen I did everything in my power to make sure he didn't take his interest in you too far" Gin continued as he impaled himself through his chest but didn't even flinch "when he chose you as a subject for experimentation I summoned the Vaizards to save you" he made his way slowly down the blade as his blood red eyes opened slightly and a thin trail began to fall from the corners of his mouth "and to put you on Aizen's trail I chose to be banded as a traitor" his pace slowed but it didn't stop him "and do you remember why I did all that even though you took Rangiku from me?" he finally made it to the bottom where the guard pressed against his chest just over his heart "I did it…" he placed his palms on Toushirou's shoulders who was more or less frozen due to the shock of seeing so many familiar faces "…so that you would kill Aizen and protect Rangiku!" he managed through gritted teeth which seemed to bring Toushirou back to earth "tell…me Toushirou…" his head was lowered and his arms began to shake "…why haven't you killed Aizen yet? More importantly…" he raised his head slightly so that blood red eyes were gazing into Toushirou's turquoise eyes "…why…aren't you…protecting Rangiku right…now?" his body went limp.

"_Gin"_ Toushirou thought solemnly as his body shattered like the ones before it and his words sank in, moments later Toushirou gripped his fist in anger as his thoughts turned to Aizen _"this is the last straw Aizen!"_ he raised his left hand over his face.

"_That's good, give in to the Wrath"_ a sadistic voice called from within the darkest depths of Toushirou's soul _"once you do your heart will finally be mine!"_

*Outside*

"_Please be alright"_ Rangiku thought in desperation as she felt Aizen's fingers roughly gripping her scalp, she would have resisted but she knew there was no hope for her to overpower Aizen.

"_Kontangoumon Kyouka Suigetsu"_ Aizen thought in amusement _"the mirrors my Bankai surrounds the victim with force him to relive the most horrible experiences of their lives with the people involved bearing down upon them accusingly"_ his thoughts turned to his successor and predecessor _"when I used it on Captain Dark-Heart it forced him to relive each and every innocent person who died by his hands when he was alive, the loss of his mother, the fight to the death with his father, and his failure to protect his beloved and unborn child. With Shinji he was forced to relive the night he failed to protect his friends from my research and their subsequent exile"_ Aizen smirked at his cruel tactics _"the weight of being forced to relive such cursed memories surely broke them both. And given Toushirou's fragile mind it's only a matter of time before…"_ Aizen's train of thought was cut off when he suddenly felt a strong spiritual pressure coming from within the mirrors of his Bankai before they all shattered revealing Toushirou to be standing slightly hunched over with his mask dawned and his Bankai slowly beginning to regenerate.

"_Toushirou…"_ Rangiku thought in fright as she looked upon her Captain.

Normally she would have been relieved to see him emerge apparently alright from the torture Alexander had described to her, but what she sensed frightened her to her very soul. Toushirou's spiritual pressure had always been strong ever since the day they met and even then it had a cold edge to it to match his personality. But now it was completely different, it wasn't its familiar cold yet gentle self, it was now overflowing with raw anger and hatred as if his soul could think of nothing but enacting the most violent death imaginable upon any who dared to oppose him.

"_This spiritual pressure, it's completely different from before"_ Aizen thought in disbelief as he saw Toushirou's armor, wings, and tail quickly regenerating _"all I can feel is the wrath, the blood lust, it's like evil itself"_ before his Bankai had regenerated Toushirou disappeared with a shunpo and reappeared in front of Aizen and grabbed his left arm _"so fast, I didn't even notice until!"_ Toushirou cut Aizen's left hand off with a single stroke freeing Rangiku from his grip and spraying the back of her head with his blood, Aizen raised his sword just in time to block a follow up strike which sent him flying backwards and crashing into what remained of one of the town's fake buildings _"this spiritual pressure is almost nothing like Toushirou Hitsugaya's is this the Frozen Devil I'm fighting?"_

"Captain can you hear me?" Rangiku asked desperately as she fell to her knees in front of him "Toushirou answer me please!"

*Toushirou's inner world*

"Ah isn't that sweet of you to save your little girlfriend" a Toushirou with chalk white skin, black eyes with golden pupils, and black hair wearing a white kimono with a black haori asked as he slumped over a normal Toushirou who's face was contorted in rage as the winds of his inner world picked up and became even more violent "that's it let it all out" he placed his hand over his other self's heart and it began to apparently sink into his chest "now why don't you make Aizen suffer like no one before him has suffered before?"

"Aizen" Toushirou said his name through gritted teeth.

"Very good" the inner hollow said in approval.

*Real World*

Toushirou let out a loud roar which terrified Rangiku as unlike any time before the jaw of his mask actually opened like it was his real mouth and his bankai regenerated fully. He turned his gaze towards Aizen who had just shattered the ice forming around his stump of a wrist and began to regenerate his hand when Toushirou rushed towards him with a flap of his wings so powerful and nearly buried Rangiku in the snow it kicked up. Aizen swung his sword down as hard as he could when Toushirou appeared in front of him however Toushirou literally grabbed the blade just above the guard with his left hand and kicked Aizen in the stomach with a right roundhouse sending him flying back.

"_My Kyouka Suigetsu!"_ Aizen thought in alarm as Toushirou held his Zanpakutou in his left hand.

"_Let's see how tough he is without that overpowered magic trick he calls a sword"_ the inner hollow chuckled from within Toushirou's soul as the simple katana was encased in ice over a foot thick before shattering into dust and falling to the ground.

"He destroyed Aizen's Zanpakutou" Rangiku stated in disbelief as Toushirou flew straight towards Aizen and pinned him to the ground by planting his knees over the traitor's arms.

"_This isn't possible"_ Aizen told himself as Toushirou placed his left hand over his chest and slashed him with Hyourinmaru, Aizen tried to throw him off but to no avail as Toushirou reached into the wound with his left hand and violently ripped out a small black pearl he had committed numerous unforgivable crimes in order to obtain _"the Hogyoku…"_ Toushirou then picked him up by the collar with his left hand and threw as hard as he could sending him racing past Rangiku and crashing into even more debris which had littered the streets.

"_Alright now we don't have to worry about him regenerating himself, might as well take your time and enjoy this Toushirou"_ the inner hollow suggested as Toushirou released the grip on both his hands causing Hyourinmaru and the Hogyoku to drop to the ground.

"_Is this really Toushirou?"_ Rangiku asked herself in a mixture of terror and disbelief as he walked past her without so much as sparring her a glance _"his spiritual pressure…it's nothing like it normally is…"_ he reached into the debris and pulled a wounded Aizen out by his neck _"…it's fiercer, crueler…"_ he slammed Aizen face first into the ground they were standing on _"…there's no sign of kindness or any sense of duty…"_ Toushirou wrapped his tail around Aizen's neck and lift him into the air.

"Get it over with" Aizen hissed.

"No…" Toushirou replied coldly "…I want to hear you scream as you beg for mercy!"

"Not happening…" Aizen was cut as Toushirou slammed his left fist into Aizen's face creating a crack over his face which like his hand was not healing.

But that was not the end, Toushirou continued to pound into Aizen's face repeatedly _"…it's like all he knows now is…"_ Rangiku thought in horror as she watched Toushirou brutally beat Aizen _"…an undying hatred…"_

"…_you may hate me in the future…"_ Gin's voice rang in Rangiku's memory as the segment of Aizen's helmet covering his jaw shattered yet Toushirou continued to strike without mercy _"…it seems very likely to me that you will…" _Toushirou slammed his right fist into the top section of Aizen's mask causing it to shatter revealing Aizen's head, his eyes had turned jet black and his hair had strangely grown out, he could only look at Toushirou angrily _"…however hatred will rob your heart of its freedom and destroy you from the inside…"_

"_I see…this is what Gin meant"_ Rangiku thought as she dragged herself to her feet and ran towards Toushirou _"I have to hurry!"_

Toushirou slammed his left fist into Aizen's stomach causing him to cough up a large amount of blood "time to finish this Toushirou" the inner hollow instructed.

"May you rot in Hell Aizen" Toushirou hissed as he brought the man whom he despised above all others in close and forced his jaw open with his left hand before raising his right hand which had a small blue green orb forming around the index finger and placed it halfway into Aizen's mouth "it's finally over!"

"_And your heart will finally be mine once again!"_ the inner hollow chuckled "now finish him!"

"_With pleasure"_ Toushirou thought as he prepared to fire his cero.

"STOP!" Rangiku shouted before suddenly appearing behind Toushirou and wrapping her arms around his neck "don't do it" she begged with tears rolling down her face.

"_You're too late girl"_ the inner hollow chuckled "Toushirou kill her!"

"_Shut up"_ Toushirou replied as he turned his focus towards the woman on his back and away from the struggling Aizen in his tail "what is the meaning of this Rangiku?" Rangiku gulped slightly at the cold edge of his voice "can't you see that I'm about to finally end this madness?"

"Toushirou I'm begging you, don't do it" Rangiku replied desperately.

"Do you realize what you're asking of me?" Toushirou asked in disbelief "Rangiku this is the man who betrayed us and threw the entire Soul Society in chaos, who knows how many lives have been ruined because of what he's done, to top it all off Momo and Gin…he took them away!" he tightened the grip with his tail causing Aizen to struggle further as memories of Momo and her smiling face flashed through his mind "for what he's done…HE DESERVES TO SUFFER A THOUSAND DEATHS!"

"I know Toushirou…" Rangiku stated weakly "…and I'm not saying that we should let him go, but…" she squeezed him tightly "…you're not killing him out of sense of duty and it's not to protect innocent people…" she raised her head before saying "…you're doing it to satisfy your own hatred!"

"So what if I am?" Toushirou asked angrily "it's not important so long as he dies!"

"Before he died…Gin gave me a warning" Rangiku began desperately "he told me that if I gave into my hatred it would rob my heart of its freedom and destroy me from the inside out…after seeing you just now I realize that he was right and if you give into that hatred now it'll destroy you as well…so please, I'm begging you don't do it…I DON'T WANT TO LOSE ANYONE ELSE!"

Toushirou gripped his fists tightly before asking "and what of you?" Rangiku looked at him in surprise "say my hate does consume me, what will you do?'

Rangiku closed her eyes half way before answering "if I lose you then I'll have nothing else to live for, once order has been restored to the worlds I'll move on to the next stage in the cycle of rebirth where I shall await the return of the Heavenly Guardian…the Frozen Savior…"

Toushirou's fists began to shake violently before he loudly swore "DAMN IT ALL!" Rangiku nearly lost her grip as he let out a powerful wave of spiritual energy and put away his mask causing her to look at him in a combination of shock and hope "that's unacceptable" he stated as he haphazardly threw Aizen to the side with his tail causing him to land with a dull thud as he struggled to breath "I can't lose you too" he pulled on her arms causing her to let go of him, all the snow and ice began to disappear as he sealed his Bankai and he turned towards Rangiku "to make matters worse I've given you yet another bad memory…I'm such a fool…"

Rangiku pulled him into a tearful embrace causing him to place a hand over the back of her head gently.

"_Kid what the Hell do you think you're doing? You haven't…"_ his inner hollow began but was cut off.

"_Shut up, you need to realize that you are nothing more than a small __**part**__ of me"_ Toushirou replied as the hollow's grip slipped over his heart _"it's time you learned your place!"_ the hollow let out a scream as it faded back into the darkness of Toushirou's heart "I'm sorry Rangiku, please forgive me…"

"It's alright" Rangiku replied.

Little did the two officers know that nearby Aizen was crawling towards the Hogyoku _"I'll never let them take it from me"_ he thought as he struggled to drag his body forward with his only hand _"once I have it back I'll make them all know the true meaning of fear!"_ he finally reached his destination and reached out for it with his right hand _"I'll show them the true power of a god!"_ just before he was about to grab the wretched stone a white bladed pierced the back of his hand and nailed it to the ground, before Aizen could see who it was he felt an additional two blades pierce his chest around his heart, he looked up to see Alexander and Shinji on top of him; Alexander had driven Nehan through his hand while using Kokuhyou in conjunction with Shinji's Sakenade to pierce Aizen's heart.

"Master, Shinji" Toushirou called out when he realized what had just happened.

"How?" Aizen asked weakly "my Bankai…it should have…" Toushirou and Rangiku approached him "…broken both of you."

"If we had been on our own it probably would have" Shinji stated "I must admit that was an effective technique forcing us to relive all of our worst memories…"

"But you failed to realize one thing" Alexander continued "we made it through those events when they **actually** happened, and do you know why we were able to do that Aizen?" Aizen gave no response "it was because of our friends and family" suddenly over a dozen people surrounded them as they arrived via shunpo and in Nelliel's case a sonido "while it's true that to this very day I have not forgotten, nor have I forgiven myself for my past. At the same time I can not allow them to break me, because if I did then I'd hurt Elaina, Retsu, my friends, and my comrades; while what I've done can never be forgiven, so long as there is breath in my body I can't allow myself to fall into despair for my friends' sakes."

Aizen was silent for a few moments as the life drained from his body "you're all just too much…" his body became still and his eye lids finally shut for the last time.

"After all these years" Shinji began as he and Alexander began to sheathe their swords "I can't believe I'm pitying you Aizen, you were just…too pathetic…"

"Head Captain Hitsugaya" Alexander said in acknowledgment of his former student as he bent down to retrieve the Hogyoku and Hyourinmaru, Alexander turned his gaze towards Rangiku for a moment before thinking _"thanks to her he has truly surpassed me in every way imaginable."_

"_We'll need to decide what to do with this" _Toushirou thought as he pocketed the Hogyoku and sheathed Hyourinmaru and turned his gaze towards Nelliel "I'm not a hundred percent certain why you decided to help us, but I'm grateful to you; you have my expressed permission to move about here in the World of the Living as you wish so long as you don't disturb the peace."

"Thanks, but that's not going to bring back my friends" Nelliel replied solemnly _"maybe I should see about hanging out with Ichigo and his crew."_

"The same goes to you and your Vaizards Shinji" Toushirou stated causing them all respond cheerfully, even Kensei managed to crack a smile at the good news "just make sure to keep Hiyori as far away from the Seireitei as you possibly can."

"What the hell did you just say shorty?" Hiyori yelled angrily but was silenced when Shinji threw his hand over her mouth and nodded in understanding.

"Ichigo Kurosaki" Toushirou continued ignoring the childish fight that had broken out between Shinji and Hiyori "I wish I could promise you that we'll never cause trouble for you again but…"

"I understand" Ichigo replied "if you ever need help don't hesitate to ask."

"I'm grateful" Toushirou assured him before turning his gaze towards his subordinates "let me start off by saying you all performed heroically today, however there isn't any time to lose, we must return to the Seireitei immediately; after all we must pay our respects to the fallen and then we have to rebuild the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

"Sir" most of the officer responded.

"_This isn't how I envisioned becoming the Head Captain…but I intend to make the most of it…" _Toushirou thought.

*Captains' hall: Three Months Later*

"Things sure have been lively the past three months" Shunsui sighed as he talked to Ukitake as they awaited their colleagues "I can't remember the last time I had to do so much paperwork."

"How's Nanao doing?" Ukitake inquired.

"I found her lying on her desk with a killer hangover this morning" Shunsui sighed "in hindsight I probably should have told her that Lisa was a porn fiend a long time ago."

"She'll get over it I'm sure" Ukitake replied "but still it is concerning; I know it's only been three months but still to be short two Captains and four Lieutenants at the beginning of a new Head Captain's tenure is troubling."

"We'll be fine" Shunsui assured his friend "the kid's been looking for the best and the brightest ever since he took over…" suddenly the doors opened revealing their two newest additions "…well speak of the devil."

"Sorry we're late" Elaina stated "still getting used to the new routes" unlike three months ago Elaina was now wearing a sleeveless kimono and she now had bands holding her leggings closely to her ankles, but the most meaningful change was the sleeveless white haori she was wearing with the kanji for nine on the back.

"It's no problem" Shunsui chuckled.

"Please take your places" Toushirou commanded as Elaina stood between her father and Kenpachi.

"Thank you for your patients, Head Captain" Youmei replied, her hair was still long on the left side and short on the right, the only change to her attire was that now she was wearing a white haori with a long sleeve over her right arm and no sleeve over her left with the kanji for three on the back.

"Now that everyone's here it's time to call this meeting to order" Toushirou stated as he stood up between the two rows of Captains, over the past three months he had grown approximately half a foot and his face had become more streamlined and mature in appearance; Elaina, Retsu, and Alexander each suspected that Momo's Fukahana may have stunted his physical growth but chose not to bring it up "approximately three days ago I received a summons."

"A summons?" Elaina inquired "the Central Forty Six is dead so who the hell could summon you? After all you're the Head Captain."

"There is one body that can" Byakuya stated calmly.

"That's right" Toushirou replied "we've been summoned by…the Royal Family…"

**Author's Notes: And that's chapter 26 boys and girls, please tell me what you think and don't forget to stick around for chapter 27**


	27. Defiance

Author's notes: Sorry about the long wait, afraid to say this is a short chapter compared to the past few updates but I felt this was the best. Bad news is that classes have started up so I won't be updating as often but I'm not going to abandon any of my work.

I still don't own Bleach or Devil May Cry

Please read and leave a review

**Ch. 27 Defiance**

"Jeez, they sure picked a horrible time to rendezvous" Rangiku sighed heavily on the shores of the river in the middle of Karakura town "why'd they want us to meet them so early in the morning, the sun hasn't even risen yet? My head hurts."

"If you didn't drink so much, you wouldn't have a hangover" Toushirou stated in annoyance.

"Ah, come on Toushirou" Rangiku replied with a fake sad look on her face "even after becoming Head Captain you still can't loosen up?"

Toushirou merely shook his head before saying "you're unbelievable you know that?"

"Which is why she's with you" Elaina stated in amusement from a nearby bench sitting next to Shuuhei "after all she's got you nice and wound around her finger Head Captain" Shuuhei seemed to shutter in fear as he thought about what Toushirou might do for retribution.

"Dark-Heart you have got to be the biggest smart ass who ever lived" Toushirou declared in even greater annoyance.

"Oh well at least I'm hot" Elaina replied in a bored expression causing Rangiku to chuckle and Toushirou to shake his head.

"Captain Dark-Heart please we're…" Shuuhei began but was silenced by Elaina's finger over his lips.

"Relax Shuuhei" Elaina commanded "he may be the Head Captain now but he's still the same over serious workaholic I met back when he took orders from my Dad" she let out a lazy yawn "he still needs people to mess with him in order to keep himself at least partially sane."

"I don't need you to stay sane" Toushirou assured her.

"Maybe not, guess that's what Rangiku there's for" Elaina replied "especially after hours" she let out a chuckle which seemed to infuriate the new Head Captain.

Nearby the two second longest serving Captains among the group were sitting on top of the hill observing their colleagues with expressions of gentle amusement.

"They sure are lively, eh Jyuushiro?" Shunsui asked cheerfully "makes you wonder how things are going to be once we have a full house again."

"I doubt we're ever going to be bored in our lifetimes" Jyuushiro concurred as his eyes wandered from the new Head Captain and the Captain of Squad Nine to their other officers; closest to Toushirou's group was Byakuya who was standing silently ready to move at a moment's notice, standing next to him was the now Captain of Squad Three Youmei Rammyaku who had a gentle smile plastered across her face as their Lieutenants Renji Abarai and Izuru Kira simply conversed with one another a few feet away, following the current of the river lead to the unconscious forms of both the Captain and the Lieutenant of Squad Eleven in addition to their third seat sleeping without a care in the world as their fifth seat stood over them with a slightly bemused expression, further down still stood Mayuri who was grumbling angrily at being dragged out into the world of the living with his daughter/lieutenant Nemu close by, and towards the end sat the Captains of Squads Five and Four who were having a conversation of their own "it does my heart well to know so many vibrant and diverse personalities."

"Same here" Shunsui replied with his signature smirk _"can't believe it was one of our new Captains that ended up with the only person we have left to call our senior in line of work…oh well they both have their heads screwed on right so there's no need to worry."_

*With Retsu and Alexander*

"Say Retsu" Alexander began and Retsu turned her gaze towards him "that subordinate of yours over there, I believe his name was Hanataro Yamada?" he gestured towards the mousey haired shinigami who was sitting at the river's edge with Isane.

"That's right" Retsu replied as she opened her eyes and took a somewhat more solemn expression "is there something bothering you?"

"Well I've noticed that ever since the war with Aizen came to an end three months ago he's been acting rather gloomy" Alexander stated "quite a personality shift don't you think?"

Retsu let out a heavy sigh before saying "I'm afraid he's going through Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" Alexander seemed to nod in understanding "I'm afraid his personality just wasn't well suited to being directly exposed to all that violence and death, I guess it was foolish of me to expose him to it all…"

"It's not your fault" Alexander assured her "that's just the nature of war" he kissed her gently on the cheek "no one survives it without scars."

"I suppose your right" Retsu sighed before turning her gaze at the quarrelling Toushirou and Elaina "speaking of emotional scars what about the Head Captain?"

"I'm not worried" Alexander stated "he may be young but with Lieutenant Matsumoto to keep his personality in check and he'll do fine, besides…" a soft smile stretched across his face "…I can confidently say that he's become a much stronger man than me."

"Don't sell yourself short" Retsu replied "your powers are still incredibly…"

"That's not what I meant" Alexander cut her off gently "when he was about to kill Aizen, the Head Captain was being consumed by his own anger and his understandably deep hatred for Aizen; more than anything else at that moment he wanted to give in to his wrath and kill Aizen with his own hands, if he had he would have won the battle against Aizen only to lose the war against himself after being consumed by his own wrath" he turned an approving gaze "thankfully she stopped him from crossing the point of no return, and even I find it heartwarming how they've consoled one another over the loved ones they lost and given each other the strength to move forward."

"They really are a perfect match" Retsu chuckled.

"Toushirou Hitsugaya won the battle I lost so miserably" Alexander sighed in self contempt "and a lot of people paid for it with their lives."

"You were thirteen years old" Retsu assured him "and plus that was more than a century ago."

"And doesn't matter how old I was or how many years have passed" Alexander stated "the fact remains that even if a thousand years pass I'll still be a murderer" Retsu pulled him into a gentle embrace.

"Aizen's Bankai made you relive it all didn't it?" Retsu asked.

"I have nightmares about the things I've done on a regular basis so I was never able to forget…even without the nightmares I could never allow myself to forget" Alexander explained "but still I must admit from a psychological torture aspect it was quite impressive."

"_He's still haunted, even after all this time"_ Retsu thought as she ran her fingers through his obsidian hair "Alex, I want you to make me a promise" she stated causing him to stir slightly in acknowledgement "I know I'm asking a lot and I understand if you can't do it immediately" she pressed her forehead against the back of his head "but I want you to try to forgive yourself."

Alexander's eyes opened widely in response to her request, he was silent for several seconds before replying "I will do my best to honor that request, under one condition."

"What's that?" Retsu inquired.

"Please…stop crying, I'm not worth the tears" Alexander answered.

Retsu was taken aback at his words, she hadn't realized that tears had crept down her cheeks, she smiled softly before whispering "deal" in his ear.

The silence was broken by a familiar shout "ALLRIGHT WE'RE HERE, NOW WOULD YOU MIND TELLING ME WHAT THE BIG FREAKING DEAL IS?"

"She's as lively as ever" Alexander chuckled as he and Retsu stood up _"thank God Elaina didn't turn out like her."_

"SERIOUSLY WHY THE HELL ARE WE HERE?" Hiyori shouted in front of the shinigami as her fellow Vizards and Nanao gathered behind her.

"Be quite for once" Shinji commanded as he placed one hand on top of her head and the other below her jaw "this is big and Toushirou though we might want see how this all plays out" the small Vizard girl slammed the back of her fist into his face before proceeding to beat him upside the head with her flip-flop.

"I appreciate you all coming here" Toushirou stated before turning his gaze towards Nanao "thank you for bringing them here Lieutenant Ise."

"Not at all Head Captain" Nanao replied.

"Still I for one am grateful you sent Nanao to fetch us" Lisa stated gleefully as she hugged the younger woman from behind "who would have thought that sweet little girl would have grown up to take my old Lieutenant's seat?" though she was used to being hit on in front of others by Shunsui, Nanao couldn't help but feel awkward receiving the same treatment from another woman "and you've become such a cutie too."

"_My childhood idol is a porn fiend who dresses like a perverted school girl"_ Nanao thought in depression, seconds later she leapt and said "Please Lieutenant Yadomaru" after feeling her hands go a little too low for comfort.

Lisa released her and turned her attention towards Shunsui who was walking up to them followed by Jyuushiro "is she always this uptight?"

"Pretty much" Shunsui answered "I must say in all my years as a Captain you two have been the cutest Lieutenant's I've ever had" both women responded by throwing a book which landed with a loud thump after hitting his face.

"So are you going to tell us why the hell you called us out here already?" Hiyori asked as she threw Shinji to the ground and stepped on his head and turned her gaze towards one of his successors "I see Dark-Heart's here to but what are you planning you little…" she turned her attention towards Toushirou who was now standing well over a head above her.

"If you'll be quite for five seconds I could answer that for you" Toushirou said through gritted teeth after being called short by the angry little girl.

"What the hell happened to you?" Hiyori asked in disbelief "it's only been three months and you've…" she was silenced by an unfamiliar hand over her mouth, she looked up in anger to see the new Captain of Squad nine looking down at her with blood red eyes and black marks.

"You should be quite, little brat" Elaina stated with a menacingly sweet tone at Hiyori found her mouth essentially sewn shut by what appeared to be her own shadow, Elaina lowered herself to the blonde's ear and whispered "that's a sore subject" before rejoining her Lieutenant.

"Captain Dark-Heart was that necessary?" Shuuhei asked.

"Probably not" Elaina answered calmly as she looked out at the gathered crowd before saying "feel free to file any complaints up the Squad Nine chain of command" Shinji laughed as he watched Hiyori try in vain to free her jaw.

"Why do I get the feeling there's a first rate bureaucratic nightmare waiting for anyone who tires?" Shinji chuckled earning a grin from the young Captain before turning his gaze towards Toushirou "but seriously why did you ask us to help you? I mean I know we're not exactly allies since you never stayed with us."

"I know and I appreciate you coming here, though I wouldn't have mind leaving Hiyori out of this" Toushirou stated "in any case I'll fill you in once Captain Soi Fon returns with some other people…"

"There's no need to wait Head Captain" Toushirou heard the familiar voice of the Second Squad's Captain call out before it's owner appeared "I apologize, Kisuke Urahara proved to be problematic as usual" as she finished the familiar forms of Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihouin, their friends Tessai, Uruu, and Jinta; moments later they were followed up by Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchki, Uryuu Ishida, Sado Yasutora, Orihime Inoue, and their latest addition the former espada Nelliel Tu Oderschvanik who was now dressed in simple green outfit which the Shinigami and Vaizards all assumed she wore while in her new gigai, she cast the others a friendly yet cautious glance.

"So what's up Toushirou?" Ichigo inquired causing the shorter man's face to contort at his lack of respect "I'm grateful for the head's up but I can't help but be concerned since the last time you guys showed up you unleashed enough power to destroy my whole town, so I'm more than just a little anxious to see you all gathered here."

"First of all it's 'Head Captain Hitsugaya' to you" Toushirou replied in annoyance as a vein threatened to pop in his head "secondly the reason I've called you all here is because a few days ago I received a summons from the Spirit King."

"The Spirit King?" Ichigo asked "isn't he just a phantom figure?"

"That's true" Kisuke answered "centuries ago the royal family turned over control of the Soul Society to the Central Forty Six and the Thirteen Court Guard Squads; since then aside from the occasional…'request' for one of the Thirteen Captains to be transferred into their personal protection force."

"Wait you're telling me the Soul Society actually turns over some of their most powerful shinigami to protect a figure head?" Ichigo replied in amazement "that has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard!"

"Well the Central Forty Six wasn't in the habit of saying 'no' to the man who originally gave them their power and authority in the first place" Kisuke explained "of course that isn't what I imagine has the new Head Captain here concerned" he turned his gaze towards Toushirou before asking "am I right?" in a dark and inquisitive tone "if that's the case then I share your concern."

"_I can see why Captain Soi Fon doesn't like this guy"_ Toushirou thought in annoyance "then if my fears come true can I count on your assistance? And don't give me any of your cryptic answers or try any word games with me."

"Of course, if we're right this could be a real problem potentially" Kisuke assured him.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo demanded.

"_Wait a minute, wasn't the royal family the ones who…"_ Uryuu asked himself but was cut off when a bright light suddenly appeared in the middle of the river and what appeared to be a large oriental gate which reached several stories into the sky causing the young quincy to let out a sigh before saying "…I guess we're about to find out."

"Hell of an entrance" Toushirou stated as the gates opened releasing a flood of light so bright it even woke Kenpachi and his subordinates from their slumber as three figures emerged _"moment of truth."_

The three figures each wore the same outfit consisting of a black kimono and a solid white haori with the kanji for zero on the back (if you don't know the Kanji for zero looks like this: 零). In addition their hair was cut so short all they had was peach fuzz to shield their heads from the elements. What made their appearance even more off putting were the utterly lifeless expressions draped across their faces which didn't fluctuate for even a moment as the gate vanished and they approached the gathered forces, out of the corner of his eye Toushirou saw that the middle one was carrying a small box.

"We are the instruments of his majesty the Spirit King" the middle man declared without so much as a blink as he set foot on the bank in front of the gathered warriors "his majesty wishes to speak with the Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

"That would be me" Toushirou stated calmly.

"Did you bring the King's key as proof?" the soldier replied, Toushirou reached into his uniform and revealed the ancient key for all to see "very well" the man placed the box on the ground in front of him and knelt before it "may his majesty's will be done" he opened the box causing a transparent image of a man to appear in the air above it.

His face was hidden by a thin veil in front of where he was sitting which acted as a blind but from what the Shinigami and their associates could see he wore a very decorative red and golden kimono with numerous five clawed golden dragons adorning the sleeves and leggings. He had the build of an incredibly strong war veteran as if he had survived thousands of battles. And on the edges of the blind spots caused by the veil the spectators were able to spy a bit of jet black hair.

"A boy?" the Spirit King stated in surprise "what happened to Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto?"

"He died three months ago" Toushirou answered as he gripped his fist tightly in response to being called a 'boy' by this pompous king who hadn't even bothered to speak to him in purpose "I'm the new Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad Toushirou Hitsugaya."

"I see" the Spirit King replied showing no signs of caring or remorse "I suppose you're wondering why I called for you and your subordinates to be here to this location in the World of the Living child."

"I assume you want something from us" Toushirou stated "and it's Head Captain Hitsugaya to you!"

"You don't seem to realize who you're dealing with boy" The Spirit King informed the young shinigami as Rangiku and several of the other Captains and Lieutenants stood behind him "the reason we called you here was for you all to witness the beginning of a new era, you should be grateful!"

"First off I'm not as traditional as my predecessor was" Toushirou began deciding he had had enough "and secondly I doubt you're aware of this but currently the Thirteen Court Guard Squads are missing two captains and five lieutenants, in addition the Central Forty Six has been killed so the role of actually governing the Soul Society has fallen to us; so I have a lot of concerns to work through at the moment which is why I don't appreciate being called out into the World of the Living in the middle of the morning by a pompous king who doesn't have the since of decency to speak to me man to man!" Toushirou could tell the king was furious and out of the cornor of his eye he could see that Elaina was smiling widely at his audacity "now you have ten seconds to tell me what you want or I'm going to leave to do some actual work and I'll be taking my subordinates with me!"

"I'm so proud of our Head Captain" Elaina whispered to a mortified Shuuhei as she pretended to wipe a tear from her eye.

The Spirit King shook his hand for a few seconds before declaring "by Royal decree I demand you immediately hand over the Hogyoku and relinquish control of the Soul Society to me!"

"What the hell…did he just demand we give him the Hogyoku?" Renji asked in disbelief.

"In addition to relinquishing command of the Soul Society, yes" Byakuya answered his Lieutenant calmly _"so it's come to this."_

"You want to reestablish the Royal Family as the ruling body within the Soul Society?" Toushirou inquired _"it looks like my suspicions were correct…I'm grateful I have so many allies to aid me…"_

"My father…the last spirit king was a lazy dullard" the Spirit King replied calmly "which is why he turned control of the Soul Society over to the lowly vultures in the Central Forty Six; I've waited for thousands of years for this day but now that the Central Forty Six is gone the time is perfect for me to correct his mistake!" he raised his tightly clenched fist "it is the role of the King to rule, the King's authority is absolute! I will bring order to the chaos he left behind and I will rule the Soul Society, after that I will conquer the World of the Living starting in this very town where the traitorous fools fell!"

"The hell you will!" Ichigo spat out but was stopped from acting up by the new Captain of Squad Five.

"Your intention is to create an inter-dimensional dictatorship?" Alexander asked calmly "and what of the Hogyoku?"

"The Hogyoku has the power to make the desires of its wielder come to reality" The Spirit King answered "in the millenniums that have passed since my father's death I created and sought out a number of powerful artifacts to help make my dream a reality; for example that King's Key the boy possesses, I created it in order to move the palace to a location where the Central Forty Six would have no clue of our plans."

"You created the King's Key?" Rangiku replied in disbelief "but from what I recall the King's Key was created by sacrificing one hundred…"

"…thousand souls on a plot of spirit enriched land in the World of the Living" The Spirit King interrupted "it was many centuries ago but I believe the city was called Atlantis or something…"

"You bastard!" Elaina hissed.

"That's enough out of you!" The Spirit King yelled before turning his attention towards Toushirou "now child give me the Hogyoku and I'll make you my highest ranking general, together we can establish order for both worlds!"

Toushirou reached into his robe with his left hand and pulled out the small black orb that the King requested and held out before clenching his fist and glaring towards the hologram of the Sprit King "forget it!"

"You dare to defy me boy?" The Spirit King demanded.

"Someone like you isn't fit to be a shinigami let alone the ruler of both worlds" Toushirou stated "and as the Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads it's my duty to ensure both worlds are protected."

"And what of you all" the Spirit King asked "will you dare to defy me as well?"

"This town is my home you, there's no way I'll let you conquer it let alone my entire planet" Ichigo spat out and his friends nodded their agreement "damn right I'm going to defy you!"

"What can I say I'm a meddler by nature" Kisuke chuckled in response "besides even I had the sanity to see the Hogyoku was a threat to everyone should it fall into the wrong hands; I can't begin the kind of madness that would come as a result if you came into possession of it."

"I'd have to agree with Kisuke on this one" Yoruichi added.

"We're not really friends with the Head Captain there, really we're more like acquaintances" Shinji sighed as he twirled his hat around his finger before turning his gaze towards the Spirit King "the thing is we were really looking forward to being able to spread our wings after a century in hiding and it sounds to me like you'd get in the way of that little venture" the Vizards scowled at the Spirit King to signal their agreement.

"If you attempt to stir up chaos in our affairs then that makes you an enemy" Soi Fon stated sternly "and the purpose of my existence to kill all enemies, it's that simple."

"You're planning to start a war for your own gain" Youmei said as she clenched her left hand tightly "I can't imagine nor do I wish to find out just how many families would be torn apart by such unthinkable destruction!"

"You're intentions can only result in casualties on an unprecedented scale" Retsu sighed calmly "to atone for my family's sins I swore to do everything in my power to minimize the bloodshed around me, which is why I cannot support you."

"You seek to establish your family as a world dictatorship? You actually believe you have what it takes to bring order and stability to the worlds?" Alexander asked and the Spirit King turned his glance towards him thinking he had a new ally before the Captain of Squad Five let out a heavy sigh "I wish such hubris had the power to shock me" the spirit King's expression changed to a glare "even if you succeeded in conquering both worlds it wouldn't bring about peace and stability for either plane. People cannot be controlled through intimidation and oppression; they would ultimately unite and rebel against you" his eyes changed and the marks spread across his body as he shot the King a glare "and worst of all you'd inevitably give birth to another Alexander and Maximilian Dark-Heart!"

"Several decades ago I swore in front of my parents' grave that no matter what I would follow the law" Byakuya stated causing the Spirit King to grin slightly as he turned towards the wealthy aristocrat "however since the Central Forty Six is dead, all authority now rests with the Head Captain; in other words…" he reached for his sword "…Toushirou Hitsugaya's word **is** law and I will slay all who would disturb the peace of the Soul Society."

"To be completely honest, right now I don't give a damn about what the law dictates" Elaina spat out angrily as her own marks spread and her eyes changed to a blood red color "the fact of the matter is that it doesn't matter whether it's a human, a shinigami, or whatever the hell you want to call yourself; anyone who confuses themselves with a god must be eliminated" what appeared to be several shadows began to lash out menacingly from the ground around her.

"Our master told us that we have no right to decide for ourselves what is justice" Ukitake sighed "he told us we must accept the true justice of the world."

"But on the other hand he never was able to explain to us what this 'true justice of the world' is" Shunsui continued with a mischievous grin "so I guess we're just going to have to decided justice on our own; against you."

Kenpachi and Mayuri gave no response causing Toushirou to say "and they honestly don't care too much one way or the other."

To say the Spirit King was furious was the understatement of the millennium. Even though his face was obscured by the transmission they could feel his rage by simply observing how he shook his arms as several veins appeared near his knuckles.

"Fine then!" the Spirit King hissed "MEN KILL THEM!"

The three soldiers of the Zero Squad leapt towards Toushirou who didn't even blink as all three of them were suddenly intercepted as a blade pierced each of their hearts from above, moments later their corpses were pinned to the ground by Byakuya, Shunsui, and Soi Fon.

"Nothing more than a mere nuisance" Byakuya stated calmly.

"I guess being away from actual service for so long has dulled their skills" Shunsui added "hard to believe they used to be Captains."

"Tch" was the only response Soi Fon had to give.

"No matter I have hundreds more where they came from!" The Spirit King declared as a large garganta like rift began to open in the sky stretching from one end of town to another.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore _"we may have switched the real Karakura town with the fake we used on Aizen but if they open a passageway that big!"_

"Elaina!" Alexander called out.

"Right!" Elaina replied as the Dark-Hearts stepped forward and stretched out their hands before several shadows shot out towards the rift and seemed to try to sew it shut _"son of a bitch! Even though we're both Captains theres no way we can stop one this damn big!"_

"Everyone get ready" Toushirou commanded causing everyone to draw their swords with the exception of Kisuke and company who merely smirked "what's wrong with you?"

"Relax" Kisuke replied "it's all covered."

Before Toushirou could ask what he meant he saw what appeared to be a third string of shadows suddenly began to try and close the rift along with the shadows from the Dark-Hearts.

"That's" Elaina said in disbelief as she traced the third string to a location approximately five blocks away.

"It can't be" Alexander stated in amazement when suddenly a fourth string of shadows shot out from another location quickly followed by a fifth and then a sixth "it's been over a hundred years and I never heard of any sightings of them in this world…"

"My how troublesome" they heard an annoyed voice state as he approached the gathered shinigami; he was a middle aged man with silver hair, glasses, and a light blue shirt which he word under a dull white suit "looks like we got here just in time" a pair of young men dressed in black ran up to the Dark-Hearts and began to pour their efforts into closing the rift.

"Ryuken!" Uryuu called out "what are doing here?"

"Short tempered as always" Ryuken calmly stated.

"Glad you could make it Ryuken" Kisuke called out cheerfully as more streams of shadows appeared one after the other "the Warlocks just don't seem to like me all that much."

"I'm inclined to agree with them" Ryuken replied as the rift began to shrink much to the shock of everyone on the ground.

"What the hell is going on here?" Uryuu demanded "and how do you two know each other?"

"More importantly where in the world did you find so many warlocks?" Retsu asked maintain her calm "it was my understanding they went extinct in this world a little over one hundred years ago."

"It's true that they suffered from some infighting a hundred years ago over how to best go about attempting to rid this world of war" Kisuke stated "but the moderate faction that ultimately won out went into hiding and since then have lived in the shadows to help refugees escape from wars around the world, after losing their Prince in the fighting they felt at a loss as for how to pursue their goal."

"_They…were lost without me?"_ Alexander thought in disbelief.

"We knew this…king was planning an invasion of our world so we enlisted their aid" Ryuken continued "after all these people are the only ones with the power to cut off an interdimensional invasion of this caliber."

"But how the hell did you know about my plans?" The Spirit King demanded.

"Come on now, you're a smart guy your majesty" Kisuke chuckled "surely you realize there's only one possible person who could of told us."

"You don't mean!" The Spirit King replied in disbelief as one additional figure appeared on the bridge overlooking them "YOU!"

"It's been a long time…" Isshin Kurosaki stated in amusement from "…King Izanagi."

"So you've come to defy me once again Isshin Kurosaki!" Izanagi hissed angrily.

**Author's notes: And that's chapter 27 ladies and gentleman sorry about the short length but if I continued this most likely would have taken me at least another 3 weeks to finish. In any case please leave a review and stick around for Chapter 28 "Rebellion" **


	28. Rebellion

**Author's Notes: Here is Chapter 28, Happy New Year everyone**

**I don't ******* own Bleach, if I did the last arc wouldn't have had half the B.S. moments and this current arc would have advanced the story much better than it has so far**

**One situation in this chapter was inspired by Yu Yu Hakusho, the specific episode escapes me at the moment but it's from the Dark Tournament arc involving three brother disciples and a messed up little troll doctor  
**

**Ch. 28 Rebellion**

Ichigo stood in disbelief at the sight before him; what shocked him was not the shinigami robes the man before him wore, nor did the Zanpakutou around his waist and the white haori over his shoulder, but what surprised him was that the shinigami standing before him was none other than the same man who had attacked him on almost a daily basis for the past several years whenever he came home.

"Da…Dad?" Ichigo stuttered in disbelief "what…what the hell are you doing here?"

"Ichigo" Isshin replied solemnly a drastic change from his normally goofy persona when he noticed two Captains approaching from behind his son.

"Well now this is an interesting development" Shunsui stated in his friendly demeanor.

"Is that all you have to say?" Ichigo asked exasperated "my dad suddenly shows up here out of nowhere and all you can say is it's interesting development."

"Forgive us Ichigo but we just can't help ourselves" Jyuushiro replied before turning his gaze towards the older Kurosaki "it's just that Shunsui and I have been Captains for over two hundred years now and if that haori draped over your father's shoulder is any indication, he **was **one at some time" Ichigo took a closer look at his father's left shoulder giving him even more questions than what he had before.

"And yet in all our years serving as Captains, we've never seen or heard of a Captain Kurosaki" Shunsui continued before turning his attention towards one of his colleagues "say Captain Unohana, would you happen to know anything? After all you're the only one here who's ol…"

"Now Shunsui, think very carefully" Retsu commanded in a very soft yet terrifying tone as she appeared behind the Captain of Squad Eight "do you **really **want to finish that sentence?"

"Sorry" Shunsui replied scared for his life.

"_Idiot"_ Toushirou thought in disbelief as he shook his head before asking "you have any clue about this guy Captain Unohana?"

"I'm afraid I don't Head Captain" Retsu answered.

"Then start talking" Toushirou demanded.

"It's complicated" Isshin replied as the tunnel above them closed.

"What a damn mess that thing was" Elaina swore as she, Alexander, and the other Warlocks ceased their actions.

"So a couple of our own joined the Thirteen Court Guard Squads" one of the Warlocks stated in disbelief "Captains at that."

"Yeah, we're famous" Elaina replied "any chance you could help a sister out and answer some questions?"

"I'm afraid we'll have to put that on hold for now Elaina" Alexander stated.

"Damn, if only I had been quicker" Elaina chuckled.

"I wouldn't rest just yet" Isshin called out to the Warlocks "trust me I know King Izanagi, he'll keep trying until he succeeds."

"Then we have no choice but to eliminate him" Youmei replied and Isshin nodded.

"Kisuke, Ryuken, I'm going to go ahead with the Shinigami; it's high time I settled this conflict" Isshin explained "please keep the Warlocks organized we can't let any invading forces through."

"That's a big request you're making" Toushirou stated as he walked towards the older man "you show up out of nowhere wearing our garbs, we have no idea who you are, and now you expect us to take you with us to fight against the King of the Soul Society?" he locked gazes with Isshin "give me one good reason to trust you."

"I'll give you two" Isshin replied "first of all if you're serious about stopping Izanagi you're going to need information about Squad Zero, the palace, and their defenses…information that only I can give you" Toushirou seemed to nod in understanding "but more importantly…" he turned his gaze towards Ichigo "…my son is fighting alongside you all, isn't that worth something…"

"He's being sincere Head Captain" Alexander stated.

"Fine, but I want answers" Toushirou began as he pulled out the King's Key from his robes.

"It's a long trip to the palace; I'll explain everything along the way" Isshin replied.

"Good enough" Toushirou stated when suddenly they heard several loud roars in the distance "hollows! All the spiritual powers must have attracted them!"

"Don't worry" Kisuke assured him "we can handle this" he then noticed a skeptical look in Toushirou's eyes "I guess my word alone isn't enough…"

"Let's just say I want some of my people here as well" Toushirou answered "Lieutenant Abarai, Lieutenant Ise, Lieutenant Kira; I want the three of you to provide cover against any hollows that appear within the city. You're authorized to call in the squads for assistance if need be and Renji…" the redhead stood in attention "…you're in charge."

"Sir" Renji replied and his fellow Captains saluted.

"_Real take charge type"_ Isshin thought impressed with the young Head Captain's speed.

"And Shinji can I count on you guys for help?" Toushirou asked.

"Well normally we don't like to get involved with shinigami" Shinji began "but by the looks of things, if this situation got out of hand it could really be a bother for us…" he turned his attention back towards his colleagues "Kensei, Mashiro, Love, Rose, Lisa, Hachi, I want you guys to assist in Hollow control" the Vizards nodded in understanding before flying off to offer assistance "as for me and Hiyori, we'll tag along with you guys, after all she has personal interests in this little field trip and I can't let her go unsupervised, she's such a stupid…"

"SHUT UP DICKHEAD!" Hiyori shouted as she slammed him with her flip-flop.

"Ichigo" Sado said calmly drawing the Orange haired shinigami's attention "I'll stay behind and guard the pillar closest to your house, that way Karin and Yuzu will be safe."

"Thanks Chad" Ichigo replied.

"Alright it's time to move out" Toushirou commanded as he focused a small amount of energy into the King's key causing a large gold and red gate to materialize in the sky in front of them before opening wide enough to fit a small platoon through.

Without hesitation the remaining Captains and Lieutenants, Shinji and Hiyori, the two Kurosakis, along with Neliel, Uryuu, and Orihime leapt into the gate and found themselves in familiar tunnel of dark energy. Without saying a word they all broke began to run forward intent on reaching their destination as quickly as possible.

After a few minutes of walking Ichigo finally decided to speak up "dad, I think it's time you told us what's going on."

"Very well" Isshin sighed "as the Captain with white hair and the one wearing a woman's kimono over his haori suspected I was indeed a Captain, but…" he looked towards the ground solemnly "…that was over 10,000 years ago…" his words shocked everyone around him.

"That's impossible!" Elaina stated in disbelief "we shinigami are long lived but we're not immortal by any means, the record for longest living shinigami is about 4,000 years before his body gave out him, there's no way you could be more than twice that age, especially when you only look like you're in your forties in human years!"

"You're right, even shinigami aren't meant to live that long" Isshin replied "and I surely would have died thousands of years ago, if not for what began that day…"

_Flashback _

"Captain Isshin Kurosaki, step forward" an elderly Captain commanded from the front of the Captain's hall with a dozen others standing in front of him.

"Sir" Isshin replied as he complied.

"It is with great pride that I inform you in front of your fellow Captains that the Central Forty Six has decided to promote you to Squad Zero" the Head Captain stated visibly shocking everyone in the room.

"Squad Zero?" Isshin replied in disbelief "sir I'm flattered but, I really don't think…"

"That is not important" the Head Captain interrupted with a stern expression draped across his face "you've been give a great honor, do not make light of it. You will meet your new colleagues atop Soukyoku Hill tomorrow at dawn, do you understand?" causing the younger man to sweat heavily.

"I…I understand" was all Isshin could say in response.

"_Even if defiance meant death, I really shouldn't have followed that order, for what followed was a thousand times worse than death"_ Isshin narrated.

"What's going on here?" Isshin asked as found himself in large room filled with over a dozen shinigami wearing the haori of Squad Zero, what disturbed him the most was the emotionless expressions on each of their faces and he couldn't help but notice that they all had shaved heads, even the women. Without warning several of them grabbed his arms and forced him to his knees "What the hell are you doing?"

"Relax, it'll all be over soon" a dark voice called out as he emerged carrying a dark blue orb which pulsated energy.

"Behold his imperial majesty, King Izanagi" one of the squad members called out.

"Your…your majesty what's going on?" Isshin asked "why am I being held down like this?"

"Relax Isshin Kurosaki" Izanagi commanded "this is just to ensure you don't resist."

"Resist what?" Isshin asked becoming more terrified than ever.

"For what I'm planning I can't allow your free will to get in the way" Izanagi explained causing Isshin's eyes to open wide in terror "how strange, the other gladly forfeited their free will to serve my family…kids today…" a bright white light filled the room causing Isshin to scream loudly.

"_The orb he used on me was a powerful artifact his family had discovered in the darkest depths of the Soul Society's tallest mountain"_ the older Isshin narrated _"it's power was to force anyone it was used on to obey the master's commands no matter how abhorrent they may have found it otherwise, those who submitted had their consciousnesses completely sealed as if placed under an indefinite sleep, for those who resisted like me...our fate was far worse…"_

The light cleared showing Isshin with the same empty expression on his face, moments later his captures released their hold on him and he stood up "what are your orders, your majesty?"

"Excellent" Izanagi replied "report to the barracks to get your new haori and make yourself presentable, I plan to send you out on assignment by the end of the day."

"Understood" Isshin stated as he followed his fellow squad-mates, yet in spite of his cooperative words he screamed in his thoughts _"what the Hell is going on here?"_

"_We were robbed of our self control, yet we were given a front row seat to the atrocities we were soon to commit, to make matters worse we were nourished with an elixir which effectively stopped our internal clocks on a daily basis practically rendering us immortal"_ the older Isshin narrated as he thought back to the numerous 'assignments' the royal family had sent him.

A now bald Isshin stood in the midst of a burning village with two of his comrades swords drawn, the flames illuminating the numerous corpses littering the roads, the blood on their blades, and most of all the lifeless glow in their eyes.

"It would seem the reports were inaccurate" one shinigami stated in a monotone voice "there's nothing in this village" as he finished numerous screams filled the air of dying men, women, and children suffering from injuries.

"I'll clean up, you two head back" Isshin stated coldly, the two nodded before disappearing with a shunpo.

"_The royal family sent us on numerous missions to the Soul Society in the world of the living in pursuit of powerful ancient artifacts to aid in Izanagi's planed insurrection against the Central Forty Six"_ the older Isshin narrated as his younger self walked towards a woman lying on the ground hugging her screaming baby _"less than one percent of the time did we actually find any sort of artifact, and even then it was rarely anything of notable worth; regardless there was one thing all the missions had in common…" _his younger self stopped in front of the woman and child _"…for the sake of secrecy…"_

"_Stop!" _Isshin's consciousness screamed as his body lifted his right arm raising the blade into the air _"don't do it!"_

"…_whether they were hollows, shinigami, or civilians…"_ the older Isshin continued as his younger self swung his weapon splattering blood down his front _"…there were to be __**no**__ witnesses…"_ the younger Isshin slowly made his way through the village streets slaughtering the civilians despite the screams of his inner self _"…and yet in spite of perhaps as a result of my desperation, I discovered something that encouraged me to keep struggling…"_ his younger self had a tear running down his right cheek _"…as the centuries continued I slowly regained control of my body, one small group of muscles at a time, until one fateful day 100 years ago…"_

Isshin was airborne over a small town in the mountains along with two other squad mates, two of them prepared to assault the town but froze when Isshin flew ahead of them slightly and turned around.

"What are you doing?" one of them asked only to be run through by Isshin's sword.

"Hadou 73: SoranSoukatsui" Isshin chanted blasting his second colleague with two twirling blue fireballs killing him almost instantly "sorry, but I just can't do this anymore" he looked down on the town below him "if only I could have done this sooner…"

"…_I had finally broken free of the royal family's control, but in spite of that I found myself haunted by the memories of my actions every night, unable to forgive myself I contemplated suicide, but I could never bring myself to do it…"_ the older Isshin narrated _"…eventually I decided that if I was to have any peace I had to do what I could to stop King Izanagi's invasion. After examining numerous historical documents I estimated that I had been part of Squad Zero for approximately 10,000 years, I also discovered numerous references to a group of special humans who been subjugated by the shinigami only rebel against them. The reports indicated that they had been wiped out in the ensuing rebellion but after observing the numbers, I suspected that there may have been survivors, after a few decades of searching I eventually discovered their underground remnants…"_

Isshin stood in front of a number of black garbed people who eyed him suspiciously, Isshin's hair had grown back and he now had a considerably fuller figure. Eventually an older figures stepped forward and offered Isshin his hand and the two shook.

"I appreciate your help" Isshin stated.

"Don't get me wrong, many of us including myself have reservations about working with a couple of shinigami…" the man replied after letting go of his hand "…however many of the older members of our clan such as myself, still remember the day that our Prince sacrificed his life to give this world a chance, we can't let this 'King Izanagi' destroy that. When will they attempt to invade our world?"

"Hard to say" Isshin answered "could be today, could be in a week, or a century. I'm afraid there's no way to say for certain when it'll happen."

"Fine then, keep us updated; I must say we like you a hundred times more than we do that **other** guy" their leader sighed in slight annoyance "whenever it happens, the Warlock have your back."

"I will, and thank you again" Isshin assured them before black marks spread across their bodies and they vanished in a swirl of black energy, as soon as they were gone he heard a clapping noise in the background "something you find amusing Kisuke?"

"No" Kisuke replied "I think it's wonderful you got them to help, just don't forget what I told you about Sousuke Aizen."

"I haven't, if it comes down to it, I will help you" Isshin assured his fellow Ex-Captain "was there any other reason why you followed me?"

"Yeah, I've discovered that there may be another tribe of gifted humans who might be interested in helping us" Kisuke answered "tell me have you ever heard of Quincies?"

_End Flashback_

"So that's how you and Mr. Urahara came to know my father" Uryuu stated _"I guess it all makes sense now…"_

"That's right" Isshin replied before chuckling "I must say Ryuken is a real piece of work."

"Dad" Ichigo called out drawing Isshin's attention "I get how you were a shinigami 10,000 years ago…and I get how you've been planning revenge ever since…but what I want to know…" Ichigo's expression became very solemn and grave "…is how did me, mom, Karin, and Yuzu fit into all this?"

"Ichigo…" Rukia whispered softly as Isshin's expression became very heavy.

"The truth is…you didn't" Isshin answered shocking his son "to keep myself hidden from the Soul Society and the Royal family, Kisuke gave me a gigai which hides spiritual pressure just like the ones the Vizards use, in an ironic twist I became invisible to the shinigami, but I became visible everyone else…including Misaki…" Ichigo listened intently "…she was the one who inspired me to go into medicine and open the clinic in the first place, she was…your mother was the light of my life, she gave me a reason beyond my own petty vengeance to stop Izanagi…and of course five years later we were married and you were born Ichigo…" he smiled softly.

"…dad…" Ichigo replied.

"I know I wasn't the perfect father, and I should have been there to save your mother six years ago…" Isshin continued "…but please believe me when I say that I loved your mother, and I love you and your sisters with every fiber of my being…" Ichigo nodded in understanding.

"I hate to disturb your family moment" Toushirou began calmly "but I need you to tell us everything you know about what we're up against."

"Right" Isshin replied "the bulk of the enemy forces will consist of Squad Zero, it's been a long time since I've been to the palace but I estimate they number around 2,000."

"Wait you mean to tell me we're going to be up against at 2,000 former Captains?" Alexander asked "please tell me they have some weaknesses or we're going to get slaughtered."

"I'd have to agree with my colleague" Shunsui added "after all our whole divisions on average consist of only 200 soldiers, and most of them can't hold a candle to these guys."

"They have two" Isshin replied "First as a side effect of the orb effectively erasing their consciences; they've lost the ability to use Shikai and Bankai so they'll only be able to come at us with sealed Zanpakutou…" he heard a number of relieved sighs in response "…and secondly due to the centuries and in some cases millenniums of isolation, the bulk of their abilities pale in comparison to what they were capable of as Captains, so in small numbers they shouldn't be much of a threat to any of the current Captains…"

"It's true" Byakuya stated "those three we killed back in the fake Karakura Town were weak, unless they surround us, I don't think they'll pose much of a threat."

"Well that does improve our chances of success" Youmei continued before turning her gaze towards Isshin "however I get the feeling there's more to their defenses than just Squad Zero…"

"I'm afraid you're right on that front young lady" Isshin stated "King Izanagi, will be held up in the palace's central chamber which is guarded by an impenetrable barrier, which can only be dispelled by destroying four energy crystals he entrusted to his children…to make matters worse he's also given each of them a powerful artifact they managed to dig up over the eons, and unfortunately I have no idea what those artifacts are or how they work."

"Lovely" Elaina sighed in annoyance and Rangiku nodded.

"Tell me something Mr. Kurosaki" Alexander stated politely "now that you're free from the king's control, have you recovered your Shikai and Bankai?"

"No" Isshin answered as he gazed towards his Zanpakutou "cutting a Zanpakutou off from their shinigami's consciousness for so long is like stranding someone in the middle of a desert without food or water" he let out a heavy sigh "I'm afraid Engetsu has been dead for thousands of years…I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I just don't have the fighting power to compete with you guys."

"We'll just have to make do" Toushirou stated as a faint light caught his eye "Kurosaki is that it?"

"Yeah, we've made it" Isshin replied as they exited the tunnel and found themselves in the middle of a field front of a large gate, the sky reminiscent of the skies in the world of the living and the soul society "now the first thing we need to do is deal with…" the ground shook beneath their feet.

"What in the world is this?" Neliel asked in shock as she and many of the others struggled to maintain their footing "an earthquake?"

"No" Isshin answered with sweat running down his face "this is…" suddenly a giant the size of a three story building appeared wielding a sword with a blade the length of a school bus "…a gate keeper!" he swung his blade towards the would be intruders only for most of them to leap away at the last moment.

"Great, that thing seems to be several times stronger than the ones we have back in the Seireitei" Rangiku sighed in frustration.

"Wait a minute" Rukia called out as she took stock of who was still present "where's Captain Zaraki and Lieutenant Kusajishi?"

"I think I know" Ichigo replied when suddenly out of the dust a violent yellow energy shot out threatening to crush anyone who got close "I don't know if I should be happy or annoyed about being right this time."

Kenpachi let out a maniacal laugh as he slowly pushed the gate keeper back and leapt towards it locking blades with the massive giant "now this what I'm talking about!"

"Get him Kenny" Yachiru cheered happily.

"Hold on a second" Isshin called out "theres…"

Before Isshin could finish, Kenpachi caught a glimpse of an axe blade swinging towards him out of his uncovered eye. He avoided it just in time catching a glimpse of a second gatekeeper, his smile stretched into a feral grin, especially when both their spiritual pressures began to sky-rocket.

"Is that guy nuts?" Isshin asked shocked that he could smile in such a situation.

"Pretty much" Toushirou stated bluntly "he's a loose cannon by nature."

"Barbarian" Mayuri hissed under his breath

"Regardless I'm hesitant to trust those two things to Zaraki on his own; I'd feel better if he had one or two people to back him up" Toushirou eyed the man's two subordinates particularly his third seat who seemed to catch on to his implication.

"Well you see Head Captain the reason I asked you to keep **that** a secret back during the Kusaka incident is because didn't want be swarmed by idiots telling me to 'seek higher office' if you catch my drift" Ikkaku explained "I belong in Squad Eleven under Captain Zaraki."

"Madarame" Toushirou replied "help me out here and I promise one of the first things I'll do when we get back to the Seireitei is sign a decree prohibiting you from being promoted or transferred out of Squad Eleven so long as Zaraki lives."

"You've got yourself a deal" Ikkaku declared happily as he drew his sword much to the shock and confusion of most of the people around him before he shouted "BANKAI" his energy twirled around him in the form of a twister revealing him with a large blade in each hand tied by a thick tethered ropes to a third larger blade behind his back "Ryuumon Hozukimaru!" he immediately dashed towards his Captain.

"I must say you've made him quite happy, Head Captain" Yumichika stated in amusement "he was always afraid someone else would might blow his cover."

"I honestly don't care about that" Toushirou stated bluntly "just tell those two muscle heads to meet us inside when they're done" Yumichika nodded before heading out to observe his superiors.

"Face it, a part of you loves those two lunatics" Elaina teased causing Toushirou to roll his eyes in annoyance as he gestured the group onward.

*With Kenpachi*

"Well now, seems you've been holding out on me Ikkaku" Kenpachi stated in amusement after watching his third seat push back one of the gatekeepers and land next to him.

"The Head Captain made me an offer I couldn't refuse" Ikkaku chuckled.

"Tch, that's not what I care about" Kenpachi continued confusing Ikkaku momentarily "out of all our matches, you've never used that on me?" he removed his eye-patch unleashing a truly beastly spiritual pressure "I can't overlook that…" he grinned in anticipation of fighting against what he could tell was a fine Bankai.

"Let me make it up to you" Ikkaku replied as he to felt the excitement begin to build up.

They were about to engage one another when suddenly the two giants appeared behind them forcing the two strongest men of Squad Eleven to swing their weapons towards their back with a unison shout of "OUT OF MY WAY!" after stumbling for a few moments the two giants regained their balance and prepared for a follow up.

"Damn, these two weaklings are determined to interrupt our fun!" Ikkaku swore in annoyance.

"Quit your belly-aching" Kenpachi ordered "this just means we'll have to use them for our warm-ups before we fight!"

Ikkaku grinned as he replied "good point, Captain."

The two gatekeepers rushed towards their opponents completely unaware of the fact that they didn't stand a snowball's chance in Hell of winning. In the midst of all the chaos, no one involved in the skirmish or even the two spectators saw their allies opening the main gate.

*Behind the Gate*

Over two five dozen members of squad zero stood at the gate gripping the handles of their Zanpakutou prepared to pounce at the first sign of the incoming invaders. They took their stances as the gates suddenly shook throwing incredibly large amounts of dirt to the ground before they opened violently due to their former colleague and his orange haired son. If not for the ancient artifact controlling their reactions, they would have leapt out of their skin at the sight that greeted them as soon as the gate opened.

Standing right in the gateway was a young woman with green hair and what appeared to be a broken mask on her temple, a younger girl dressed in red with a horned mask, a young man with straw colored hair wearing a business suit wearing a mask similar to the ones Egyptian pharaohs wore in their tombs, an older man with dark black hair dressed in shinigami robes and a white haori sporting a mask with slightly shorter horns than the young girl, and in the center of them all was a young man who appeared to be in his mid to late teens with wild silver hair dressed in attire seemingly identical to the older man with a dragon like mask covering his face.

What would have scared normal soldiers wasn't their numbers; they were clearly out numbered more than ten to one. It wasn't even the monstrous masks all but one of them were wearing or even their incredibly powerful spiritual pressures. No, what would have truly scared any normal soldiers would be the sight of the orbs of pure energy each of them was holding that seemed to be expanding by the millisecond. Almost instantly after the gate fully opened the orbs turned into blasts of incredible destructive force which exploded at the feet of their intended targets, the former Captains never stood a chance.

"And I thought our entrance into the Seireitei was lacking subtly" Uryuu stated as they made their way inside the main courtyard.

"Trust me kid" Elaina commanded the Quincy "there are times when it's better to be subtle and there are times when the exact opposite holds true, and this was definitely the latter."

"_Calling me a 'kid' when you look the same age as me"_ Uryuu thought as he looked at the grinning Captain _"I wonder..."_

"Don't ask" Elaina advised "or I'll make you wish one of those ceros hit you in the face."

"Cut the chatter" Toushirou ordered with his mask gone "we're in enemy territory now and they know where we are!"

"Yes sir" Elaina replied _"following you sure isn't dull, that's for certain."_

The rag tag team of humans, shinigami, vaizards, and the one Arrancar found themselves standing in the largest courtyard that any of them had ever seen. There was enough empty space to fit several small villages within, the walls of the fortress city were outlined by large four and five story buildings which the invaders suspected were barracks and storage houses; due to the clutter of buildings and the sheer scope it was impossible for them to tell just how large the grounds where but it was evident that it consumed dozens of miles worth of land. And miles away on the opposite end of the courtyard was a large edo style castle which was big enough to fit a small town inside it.

"With a castle that large it may be easier to just destroy it to flush Izanagi out" Toushirou stated.

"That won't work" Isshin replied "the frame and the foundation are made from seki-seki, we can bring down the walls and windows but it's impossible to make the whole thing collapse."

"Damn it" Toushirou swore.

"Thems the breaks, eh kid?" Shinji asked in a mocking tone.

"Shut up" Toushirou replied in annoyance before asking "which reminds me, why did you and Hiyori tag along."

"An old colleague back from my days as a Captain was promoted to Squad Zero shortly before Aizen betrayed me" Shinji answered "she was very close to Hiyori, no matter what happened, it was clear to me that she was going to follow you here one way or another…"

Memories of Momo flashed through Toushirou's mind "the things we do for family…" he was brought back to reality as numerous white figures began to emerge from the buildings and march towards their location "…Rangiku…"

"Yes?" his faithful lieutenant replied.

"…when this is over…" Toushirou continued as four streams of dark blue energy from the four corners shot of the fortress city shot towards the castle and appeared to meet somewhere deep inside "…I just **might** join you for some sake…" the number of enemy soldiers continued to grow.

"Well, there's an incentive to stay alive" Rangiku chuckled _"we'll get through this, I know it…"_

*Within the Palace*

"Finally we're safe" Izanagi stated confidently as he held a sheathed katana in his right hand and the menacing blue orb in his left "the four of you know what to do, now go!"

"Yes father" one of the king's sons replied before moving out in a flash with two of his siblings following suit.

"Why are you still here Susanoo?" Izanagi asked his eldest son.

"Because father, with all due respect I believe you are making a number of tactical mistakes" Susanoo answered calmly but with confidence.

"I admit you were right" Izanagi replied "I should have listened to you when you tried to warn me about these vermin" he tightened his grip on his sword "but rest assured, their luck is about to run out! I've just given the order for the core of our forces to march on them, they'll be no match for the sheer numbers!"

"Our core force?" Susanoo inquired and his father nodded "father, it's unwise to focus half of our military strength on one location when we have them out numbered, please we should…"

"I am the one giving the orders here Susanoo!" Izanagi declared strongly.

"Very well, as you wish, I'll head to my post to guard the crystal" Susanoo replied realizing his father wasn't going to listen "but father should this fail, I implore you to switch your strategy from trying overwhelm them with numbers, to sending out small strike teams to wear them down slowly" he disappeared in a burst of speed _"otherwise we won't have an army to conquer the worlds with…"_

"Susanoo, that boy is too full of himself" Izanagi stated.

"Still, I think you should consider what he said my lord" a female voice next to Izanagi replied "after all he's been watching the Thirteen Court Guard Squads ever since he was a young lad while the rest of only concerned ourselves with finding suitable weapons, his insight may have helped avoid these minor but annoying setbacks."

"You may be right Izanami" Izanagi admitted "but **I'm** the one who's in command here, not him. And with the fountain of youth at my disposal, it shall remain so."

"I understand my lord" Queen Izanami replied respectfully as she gripped her weapon ready to follow her husband wherever his will may lead.

*With Toushirou*

"Forgive me for this" Isshin requested as he stabbed another of his old comrades through the heart and he fell to the ground in a pool of blood, he took a moment to around the battlefield to see many white clad figures lying on the ground covered in blood, their killers holding their ground against their 'friends' who paid no attention to their maimed and scattered corpses "it's finally happening."

"Kill" Isshin heard a male voice call out from nearby, he dodged just in time to avoid a lethal blow, however he still dug into Isshin's cheek, Isshin took a moment to regain his footing "kill" the shinigami of Squad Zero repeated only to be slashed across his chest dropping him to the ground.

"Damn you Izanagi" Isshin swore softly when he saw his son struggling against several soldiers "what are you doing Ichigo?" he asked softly.

"Damn it, quit getting in my way!" Ichigo commanded as he swung his Zangetsu which two shinigami blocked with their blades, moments later several horrific images flashed through Ichigo's mind; images of towns being burned, of helpless people being killed by their owners _"this is like what happened when I fought Kusaka…"_ more of them flashed by each more gruesome than the last _"…so these are their memories, this must be what my Dad has to live with…"_

"ICHIGO, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Isshin yelled at his son.

"Kill" one of his opponents said as he swung his sword down on Ichigo only for his blade to be blocked by the massive crescent sword before Ichigo sent him flying back with a sharp palm strike to his chest.

"Ichigo what' wrong with you?" Isshin asked in a near panic "these guys are out for blood, don't hold back!"

"You're wrong" Ichigo stated shocking his father "just now I saw something, I think they're trying to reach us…"

"Ichigo, listen carefully" Isshin commanded "these people, their humanity is already dead, has been for centuries at least…"

"No, that's not right" Ichigo replied shaken by what he had seen "these guys…their humanity isn't dead, it's just been…covered up, just now they asked me for help…"

"He may be right" Shunsui said calmly as he fought off several soldiers "I've seen a few images as well, memories I suspect from what the Royal Family has had them do."

"If I had to guess, they're all at war within their own bodies" Jyuushiro added as he and Rukia held their ground against three soldiers "trying to do what you managed to accomplish Mr. Kurosaki."

"Then what do we do?" Ichigo asked as he locked blades with another three former Captains.

"Isn't it obvious Ichigo?" Toushirou inquired "whether these people are trying to resist control or not doesn't matter, either way we have no choice but to put them down."

"No, I can't do that" Ichigo replied as his spiritual pressure began to build up "please give me a chance…"

"Ichigo, don't do anything foolish" Rukia called out in concern.

"Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu!" Ichigo cried out.

Without waiting to hear how any of his allies would react Ichigo dashed into the thick of former Captains and locked blades with a male and female soldier.

"Kill" the two of them chanted as they pressed against Ichigo's katana sending numerous horrific images through his mind "kill."

"Listen to me" Ichigo begged as he leapt back and the soldiers began to group up against him "I know you're trying to ask us for help…"

"Kill" the former Captains continued to chant as they made their towards the orange haired youth.

"Damn it Ichigo" Isshin swore as he tried to make his way over to his son but was halted by five members of Squad Zero.

"…but you have to tell us how" Ichigo explained as he leapt back into the fray, parrying dozens of strikes "please…"

"Kill" a man's voice mumbled.

"Kill" a female voice repeated.

"…you have to tell us how!" Ichigo finished.

What happened next caused Isshin and Rukia's hearts to skip a beat, one of the soldiers swung his blade in an upward motion effectively breaking Ichigo's stance followed by three blades which struck his chest sending him flying back like a cannon ball.

"ICHIGO!" Rukia screamed as she ran up to her friend followed closely by Isshin.

"Kill" the soldiers of Squad Zero continued to chant.

"Ichigo, you idiot" Isshin said as he struggled to keep his composure.

"Kill" the former Captains repeated.

"How could you?" Rukia asked enraged by what she had just seen "you're the bastards who asked him for help and this is how you repay him?"

"Kill…kill…kill…" they continued to chant which infuriated Rukia further, but she found herself stunned when a red liquid poured from their eyes staining their clothes and the ground below them.

"Tears of…blood?" Rukia stated in confusion.

"Kill…kill…" the chanting continued "…us..."

The invaders found themselves shocked at what they were hearing as their enemies continued to march towards them.

"Kill us, kill us" a female soldier begged her bloody tears creating a stream down her cheeks.

"What's this feeling guilty now of all times?" Rukia asked angrily "when it's already over?"

"You're wrong Rukia" Ichigo told her shocking the small woman as he sat up.

"Ichigo are you alright?" Rukia asked when she suddenly noticed that despite all the force of the attacks there wasn't a sign of any blood on Ichigo's body "but how?"

"At the last moment just before their swords struck" Isshin began "they flipped their blades sparring him a fatal wound."

"So they've regained…" Rukia began.

"Kill us…kill us…" they continued to chant.

"I'm afraid not" Alexander began solemnly "it would seem their true selves appear to have awakened, but they're not in control" the warlock felt sympathy for the former captains "I'm afraid this surfacing of emotion won't last for long."

"Which means, I was right unfortunately" Toushirou stated with a heavy tone as he stood in front of his subordinates and associates "there's only one thing any of us can do for them" he turned his gaze towards Ichigo "feel free to hate me if you want Ichigo…"

"Kill us…"

"…but there is no other option" Toushirou continued as his spiritual pressure began to build up "everyone stand back for a minute" the skies began to blacken as the unwilling guards drew closer "Reign over the frosted frozen heavens" it started to snow "Hyourinmaru!" at the sound of the Zanpakutou's name a loud burst of thunder rang throughout the surrounding land as its master leapt into the air and swung his sword horizontally sending half a dozen ice dragons racing towards the guards freezing over thirty of them before shattering into dust "I'm sorry…"

"Thank…you…" Toushirou looked around in shock at the word which seemed to come from nowhere.

"Head Captain look!" Youmei called out pointing Toushirou towards a mass of soldiers approaching from the castle "there must be hundreds of them at least…"

"They could be a thousand strong" Byakuya noted "what should we do? If we all unleash our Bankais we should be able to take them, however…we may all be too drained to be of further use."

"Improvise" Toushirou replied calmly causing the normally stoic Captain of Squad Six to raise an eyebrow "it'll only take two of us to destroy their reinforcements and we'll do it in an instant" many of the Captains looked at him in confusion "Captain Soi Fon, listen up, I need your Bankai."

*Back with Izanagi*

"What is that brat doing now?" Izanagi wondered as he looked through the orb and saw Toushirou fly into the air with his Bankai holding what appeared to be a female Captain under the shoulders wielding a large artillery like weapon with her right arm "doesn't matter, now that I've mobilized the core of Squad Zero, my victory has been assured."

Izanagi nearly died of a heart attack when in a matter of seconds the female Captain fired off a projectile which landed smack dab in the middle of his army and exploded with enough force to shake the very building he was sitting in despite the seki-seki and the barrier which guarded him. The rumbling caused him and his wife to drop to the floor for what seemed like an eternity, when the shaking finally stopped he looked into the orb to see that nothing remained of the core of his royal guard and in their place was a towering mushroom cloud.

"Damn them" Izanagi swore _"fine, I'll do this Susanoo's way!"_

*Back with Toushirou and company*

The young Head Captain finally landed with his subordinate in hand after pouring what felt like the bulk of his power just trying to support her against the insane kick of her Bankai which he could have sworn was going to kill them both. When he released Soi Fon she dropped to one knee and began panting heavily from the strain.

"Well if nothing else, I think we've managed to make them mad" Isshin stated "if my estimates are right we've destroyed roughly two thirds of their army already, I must say I'm impressed."

"But we've all exhausted quite a bit of energy" Shunsui added "the sooner we take down the barrier and the King, the better."

"Unfortunately, after this display I fear Izanagi will start using a little more strategy as opposed to just trying to overwhelm us with numbers" Isshin continued "he'll probably try to wear us down with smaller periodic attacks from now on."

"So what's the plan Toushirou?" Rangiku asked.

"There are four crystals maintaining that barrier" Toushirou began "one in the West, one in the Northwest, one in the Northeast, and one in the east" he traced the streams of energy to guess their directions "the rest of us will fall back to the other side of the gate to use it as a funnel for any enemy forces, in the meantime we'll have to send four teams out to destroy the crystals, once that's done I should be recovered and I'll destroy Izanagi."

"I'll destroy the crystal to the east" Byakuya offered.

"And I'll go with him" Youmei stated and Toushirou nodded.

"What do you say Shuuhei?" Elaina asked her lieutenant "feel up for taking care of the western crystal?"

"Whatever you say Captain" Shuuhei answered causing Elaina to smile.

"I volunteer to take the Northeast" Jyuushiro offered before turning his gaze towards Shunsui "don't even think about it old friend, I think it'd be best for at least one of us to remain here to guard the Head Captain" he turned towards his young subordinate "Rukia if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course" Rukia replied as she ran up to her Captain.

"Wait a minute" Ichigo added "I'm coming with you" his expression was more grave and serious; this Izanagi needs to pay, I'll do what I can."

"I appreciate your help Ichigo" Jyuushiro replied gratefully _"so young and yet he has to see this…"_

"Then that just leaves me with one in the North West" Alexander stated "as soon as we take them down, you should have an opening to go after the King."

"Very well, I'm counting on all of you" Toushirou informed them "just make sure to come back alive got it?"

"You got it" Elaina replied cheerfully before disappearing with a shunpo followed by Shuuhei.

"Take care" Youmei said in good nature as she and Byakuya raced off.

"Look out for everyone while I'm gone Shunsui" Jyuushiro moved out with Ichigo and Rukia following closely behind.

"Be careful, Alex" Retsu asked in a worried tone as he beloved nodded and head out to carry out his mission _"please don't lose to your past…"_

*With Youmei and Byakuya*

"Well I wasn't expecting this" Youmei stated as she and Byakuya made their way to a forest like clearing and began looking for any signs of the crystal they were seeking, the sound of chirping threw her off for a moment _"didn't think there would be birds here…"_

"What can I say, the four of us like to add our own little touch for our assigned areas" a female voice called out drawing the attention of both Captains as she emerged from behind a rather large tree. She appeared to be in her mid to late twenties, her wavy jet black hair reached down to her waist, her dark brown eyes stood in stark contrast to her pale complexion and her light green robes "my name is Tsukuyomi, I'm the daughter of King Izanagi…and your executioner."

*With Jyuushiro, Ichigo, and Rukia*

They found themselves standing in the middle of what appeared to be a large pond which reached half way up their shins. Standing before them was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties with an incredibly muscular build, early thirties with short brown hair and matching eyes, like wise his kimono was a dark brown.

"My name is Inari, your meaningless struggle ends here" he introduced himself simply.

*With Elaina and Shuuhei*

The leaders of squad nine stood in the middle of what appeared to be a large empty field which somehow seemed to be unnaturally bright to the shinigami. In front of them stood a young woman who appeared to be in her late teens, like her siblings she had brown eyes and like her sister she had jet black hair, however hers only went down to her shoulders and was considerably straighter. She wore a dark violet kimono.

"Hello, my name is Amaterasu" she said cheerfully "are you two pretties ready to die?"

*With Alexander*

Alexander found himself at the top of what appeared to be a small mountain with an extraordinary view of the entire fortress city.

"Quite the view isn't it?" Susanoo asked as he appeared before the Captain "allow me to introduce myself, I'm the eldest son of the Royal Family, my name is Prince Susanoo" he had short black hair, a thin build, dark brown eyes, and small square glasses; his face suggested he was in his mid to late thirties and his black kimono in combination with his glasses gave him a more scholarly appearance "I must say I'm glad you were the one who came to see me, Prince Alexander of the Warlock Tribe…"

"_How the hell does he know about that?"_ Alexander wondered in alarm as he drew his swords.

**Author's Notes: 28 Chapters down, God only knows how many more to go XD**

**Hope to have Chapter 29 up by the middle of next month at the latest if possible, anyway happy new year everyone, here's hoping 2011 will be a better year than 2010…seriously 2010 was a bitch of a year…**

**Anyway just to provide clarity since there are so many characters in place I'm just going to list who's joined Toushirou for his little assassination mission.**

**Rangiku**

**Alexander**

**Elaina**

**Youmei**

**Shuuhei**

**Byakuya**

**Mayuri**

**Nemu**

**Shunsui**

**Jyuushiro**

**Rukia**

**Isshin**

**Ichigo**

**Soi Fon**

**Shinji**

**Hiyori**

**Neliel**

**Kenpachi**

**Yachiru**

**Ikkaku**

**Yumichika **

**Uryuu**

**Orihime  
**


	29. Attrition

**Believe it or not everyone I'm still alive and kicking. Sorry about the wait but hopefully now that the semester is over I'll be able to update more frequently. **

**Anyway please read, review, and enjoy**

**Chapter 29 Attrition **

"You do realize that what your father's planning will result in the deaths of millions, perhaps even billions of people don't you?" Alexander asked Susanoo from atop his artificial mountain in the Northwest.

"Not to mention those who are left will be forced to live a subservient existence" Jyuushiro explained in somewhat pleading tone in the Northeast to a stoic Inari, Rukia and Ichigo both readied their blades.

"In addition, the invasion will cause a wave of chaos to spread across both the World of the Living and the Soul Society" Byakuya stated calmly as he and Youmei stared down Tsukuyomi as she dully ran her fingers through her long hair.

"In short, it'll be a hell on earth for both worlds; naturally we can't allow that, so get out of our way" Elaina warned in the West as she and Shuhei paced around Amaterasu.

Amaterasu chuckled before saying "sounds like fun to me" her words caused Elaina's face to contort in disgust.

"It's not my concern what my father's plans entail for the world" Tsukuyomi explained in a slightly annoyed tone causing the two Captains to slant their eyes at her.

"Such matters are of no concern to you…" Inari replied calmly "…after all, the three of you have no future…"

"With all due respect Prince Alexander" Susanoo politely responded "I'm skeptical your family advice is worth much, given the fact that you're a patricide…"

"How do you know all that?" Alexander asked but before Susanoo could respond a figure covered in a black cloak appeared just above his right shoulder and attempted a spin kick to his face which the shinigami blocked by raising his right arm at the last moment _"this guy's got some power"_ he thought as he forced the figure back and he landed next to Susanoo _"great, so there are two of them."_

"It's been a long time" the figure called out in a deep voice "I see your powers have improved significantly."

"That voice…" Alexander gasped in sheer shock as a very dark energy began to radiate from the stranger's body "…it can't be…" he gripped his right fist tightly as black marks began to cover his body "…WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" he demanded, out of the corner of his now demonic eyes he could see Susanoo smirk.

*With Byakuya and Youmei*

In the distance Byakuya spied a large crystal about twice the size of the surrounding trees, he turned his head towards Youmei and the two nodded just before running to the sides.

"Hadou Four: Byakurai" Byakuya chanted as he aimed for the distant crystal and a small orb of bright white energy formed around his finger tip.

"Strike Aoibara" Youmei cried out as her sword changed into the twin barreled revolver and she prepared to pull the trigger.

However before Byakuya could unleash his spell or Youmei could squeeze off her shot, they both found themselves violently thrown to the ground on their backs, their attacks fired off into the sky hitting nothing but air. Needless to say both Captains were shocked at what had just transpired.

"_It happened right when me and Youmei were about to unleash our attacks…"_ Byakuya thought as he and Youmei picked themselves up _"…impossible!"_

"What's the matter? I thought you Captains would be faster than that" Tsukuyomi stated calmly with a mocking tone to her voice.

"I don't get it, our attacks were almost simultaneous, how could you have possibly taken us both down so quickly?" Youmei questioned as she rubbed her chin "it's not possible" she aimed her weapon towards the Princess and fired off a round.

Youmei could only watch in terror as Tsukuyomi vanished right when she pulled the trigger only to appear standing right next to her with her hand wrapped around her left wrist. Before she could react Tsukuyomi hurled her over her left should and slammed her in to dirt creating a small crater around her body. With a maniacal grin across her face, Tsukuyomi then pressed her right foot on top of Youmei's neck threatening to crush her trachea.

"Scatter Senbonzakura" Byakuya chanted causing his blade to shatter and swarm the princess who vanished before being struck, the next thing he knew she had her foot planted in his face causing him to stumble back and slam into a tree.

"You two just don't get it do you?" Tsukuyomi asked in an insulting manner as she reached into the folds of her robes and revealed a necklace with over a dozen curved beads "you can't keep up with me, my Yasakani no Magatama makes it impossible for you to hit me…"

"Bankai: Kurenaitoge (Crimson Thorn) Aoibara!"Youmei cried out as her weapon extended to approximately five times its previous length and the barrels widened into one large barrel and the end of the barrel had turned a dark red color _"if a pistol won't work, then let's see how you like a shotgun!"_ she squeezed the trigger firing a spray of spirit energy towards Tsukuyomi frightening her.

"_She's scared?" _Byakuya

Tsukuyomi vanished and reappeared a few yards away, reacting quickly Youmei turned towards her and fired off another blast.

"Impressive…" Tsukuyomi stated as she dodged a third blast "…since trying to hit me with a focused attack serves no purpose, you've switched to a weapon that only requires you to aim in your targets general direction…" Youmei fired off a fourth shot towards the Princess which only served to blow a hole the size of a bowling ball through a tree she had been standing in front of only a moment before "…this attack is much harder to dodge…" Youmei's fifth shot hit nothing but air "…but your rate of fire is far too low to knock me off balance, let alone hit me!"

Tsukuyomi gasped as Youmei's weapon transformed yet again into a large Gatling gun which she had to use both hands to support "how's this for rate of fire?" the Squad Three Captain asked rhetorically as the barrels began to rotate quickly firing off a steady stream of energy bullets which blew through rocks, trees, and burrowed deep into the ground; however none of her attacks managed to hit their target _"damn!"_

"_You can't keep this up forever Princess, switch with me and I'll take her on in close quarters"_ Savage commanded.

"_That won't work"_ Youmei replied as she continued in her attempt to shoot Tsukuyomi but to no avail _"I'm barely holding her back with a constant barrage of bullets, what'll happen if our attacks suddenly become less than a tenth as rapid and we still can't hit her?"_

"_Shit…" _Savage swore in frustration _"…still we need to think of something, that damn machine gun of yours eats up spirit energy like that Yachiru kid in a candy store…" _

"_This is bad…"_ Byakuya thought as he saw Tsukuyomi slowly closing in towards the Captain of Squad Three _"…strange…she seemed so worried earlier when Youmei's weapon transformed yet she still doesn't appear to be having any trouble dodging her attacks, so why was she…"_ a loud caw of some birds flying in the distance momentarily caught Byakuya's attention causing his eyes to open in shock and realization _"…that's it…"_

"_YOU BITCH!" _Savage shouted from within Youmei's mind as they were slammed into a tree and nearly dropped their gun.

"_That was close, I should have killed her right off the bat" _Tsukuyomi thought as she approached the red haired woman only to stop when Byakuya appeared between them "back for more pretty boy?"

"Captain Rammyaku, listen carefully" Byakuya commanded as he helped the red head to her feet.

"Captain Kuchki?" Youmei replied slightly confused as Byakuya began to whisper in her ear much to Tsukuyomi slight amusement "yes" she answered to one of his questions moments later her eyes shot open at what he said next "what did you just say?" Byakuya pulled his head back and fixed a stern gaze upon her.

"Well now, trouble in paradise?" Tsukuyomi asked.

*With Elaina and Shuhei*

"Before I destroy you, why don't the two of you give me your names?" Amaterasu requested "after all I, a princess of the royal family gave you the honor of an introduction."

"Fine; I'm the new Captain of Squad Nine, my name is Elaina Dark-Heart" Elaina answered.

"And I'm her lieutenant Shuhei Hisagi" Shuhei added.

"Captain Elaina Dark-Heart and Lieutenant Shuhei Hisagi of Squad Nine…" Amaterasu repeated as she held out a large mirror the size of her torso with her left hand "…interesting…"

"What are you talking about?" Elaina demanded.

"According to my Yata Mirror, despite the fact that the two of you are the leaders of an entire division you appear to only have one major connection with each other" Amaterasu explained as she turned the mirror towards them revealing the reflection of a young man with dark skin, brown braids, and a solid white visor over his eyes.

"Captain Tousen?" Shuhei gasped.

"What the Hell is this?" Elaina demanded.

"One of the abilities of my Yata mirror is that it allows me to look into peoples' hearts" Amaterasu explained with a wicked smirk across her face "and if there are two or more people I can see what the strongest link if anything is between them…" she let out a small chuckle "…it would seem whoever made the choice to put the two of you together in the same squad was a real fool, because my mirror shows that this man is the strongest link between you two…" she pointed towards Shuhei "…a man whom you admired greatly…" she turned her finger on Elaina "…and who you killed!"

"_She's trying to mess with our heads…I know that…but still…"_ Shuhei thought as he felt his blood begin to boil and he drew his sword _"…she'll pay!"_

"Calm down Shuhei" Elaina commanded calmly as she pulled out her sword as well "it's true, I'm the one who killed Kaname Tousen, the man who mentored Shuhei. And I don't regret it, put me in the same situation and I'd do it all over again…" Shuhei batted his eyes towards her and Amaterasu seemed to be on the verge of laughter "…that said it was not something I enjoyed doing…I wish it hadn't turned out the way it had…I wish I could have saved him…but I'm not a god so there's only so much I could do…"

"_Captain Dark-Heart…"_ Shuhei thought

"…but what makes me just as angry, if not even more so…" Elaina continued with a more aggressive tone of voice "…is the sound of someone like you jokingly talking about such a deeply personal matter!" her spiritual pressure erupted as black marks began to spread across her skin and her eyes turned dark red with slits for irises "before this is over you're going to learn just how truly terrifying I can be!"

"Sounds fun" Amaterasu mocked.

Elaina and Shuhei dashed towards Amaterasu intent on finishing the fight as quickly as possible. With a quick shunpo Elaina appeared in front of Amaterasu who quickly revealed a short sword she had hidden in her left sleeve before locking blades with the young Captain.

"Not bad" Amaterasu chuckled as sparks began to fly from the friction of their blades.

"If you like that then you're going to love this!" Elaina hissed as she quickly parried Amaterasu's sword before driving her left fist into the princess' face sending her flying backward from the impact.

"You bitch!" Amaterasu swore as she caught Shuhei leaping into the air out of the corner of her eye.

"Reap Kazeshini!" Shuhei cried out, within an instant he threw one of his chained scythes towards Amaterasu releasing a terrifying metallic sound as it soured through the air.

Much to Shuhei's surprise Amaterasu raised her Yata Mirror as a shield as if to block the incoming attack slightly surprising the Lieutenant.

"_Is she sacrificing her artifact to protect herself?"_ Elaina wondered as she focused her eyes on the Yata Mirror and gasped in horror _"this flow of spiritual energy! She's not trying to block it, she's…."_ she turned her gaze towards her Lieutenant and shouted "…SHUHEI CALL OFF YOUR ATTACK!"

But it was too late; the moment Shuhei's weapon came into contact with Amaterasu's Yata Mirror, instead of cutting through the relic or simply being deflected like they would have done to a normal weapon or shield, Kazeshini's scythe seemed to sink right into the mirror's reflective surface. Before Shuhei could voice his shock the scythe then proceeded to shoot out from the mirror back towards the one who threw it in the first place. The color immediately drained from Shuhei's face as the blade came closer to decapitating its owner and he quickly realized there was nothing he could do to dodge it.

"Snap her neck, Onitsume!" Elaina commanded as her right arm was incased in thick demonic scales and she slammed her fist towards the center of Kazeshini's blade sending it racing towards the ground and away from her Lieutenant "are you okay Shuhei?" she asked as the two landed on the ground and he nodded, the young Captain suddenly winced as she felt a sharp pain in her arm _"I don't believe it!"_ she thought as she looked at her right arm which now had a crack running from the wrist half way down to her elbow "your Zanpakutou is something else, to think it could damage my arm like this without me even touching the blade…"

"Sorry" Shuhei replied as he turned his gaze back to Amaterasu "how the hell did you do that?"

"That's another one of my Yata Mirror's special abilities" Amaterasu answered amused at the sight before her "reflection" she focused on Elaina "those are quite the eyes you have there Captain, I'm guessing they're the reason you picked up on the danger?"

*Flashback*

"It's been three days now, how do you feel?" Alexander inquired as he stood with his daughter in the middle of the Squad Five Training Grounds "do you feel any different?"

"Dad you can stop worrying about me, I'm fine" Elaina answered "I admit these new eyes are something to adapt to…" she turned them towards her adoptive father and marveled at how clearly she could read the flow of spiritual energy throughout his body "…with these suckers I'll have a much easier time predicting when an enemy's about to use an energy attack…what was it like for you when you first awakened them?"

Alexander let out a sigh before replying "as you know I awakened the demonic eyes in the midst of my fight against the previous Wrath when I was sixteen, I had grown up hearing stories about the abilities and insights they granted their wielders through my father…"

"…I'm sorry" Elaina responded noting the heavy tone in her father's voice.

"No, I'm the one who should be apologizing, not you" Alexander stated calmly "when I realized you had a dormant darkness affinity all those years ago I swore to do all in my power to keep you from living through the kind of hell that would allow it to manifest…" images of Esther's death, the loss of the Shibas, Kaname Tousen's betrayal, and the countless other horrors she had suffered "…but once again I failed…"

"Dad…" Elaina replied

*End Flashback*

"My eyes can read the flow of my enemy's spirit energy" Elaina stated calmly as she and Shuhei eyed their opponent "before Shuhei's scythe struck your mirror I saw it light up like a Christmas tree so I knew something bad was about to happen."

"Quite" Amaterasu chuckled "as long as I have my Yata Mirror the two of you don't stand a chance!"

"We'll see about that!" Elaina hissed as Shuhei ran off to the side and she raised her right hand just before dark black energy began to emit from her palm "Warlock Art: Lance of Longinus!" the energy immediately took the form a long spear the length of her body "now eat this!" she threw it towards Amaterasu.

"Foolish" Amaterasu stated as she absorbed Elaina's attack into her shield, from her side she heard an all too familiar sound of metal shrieking through the air towards her "you'll have to do better than that little Lieutenant!" she turned her mirror towards Shuhei releasing Elaina's spear towards his scythes causing a large explosion when the two attacks collided "pathetic."

The force of the explosion sent Shuhei flying back like a rocket, his kimono was torn in several places and his skin was covered in cuts and small burns "do it Captain…" he managed to squeeze out before falling on his back on the ground.

Much to Amaterasu's horror Elaina appeared right in front of her with her right fist at the ready. With a cold, calculating expression draped across her face, the Captain of Squad Nine swung her demonic fist towards the princess with all her might. Unfortunately for her, Amaterasu managed to turn her mirror back towards the young Warlock causing her fist to sink into the mirror's depths before reemerging and slamming into its owner stomach moments later.

"Damn it!" Elaina swore as the impact sent her flying backward like it had her lieutenant before her _"she's fast!"_

Amaterasu quickly turned to her right and raised her mirror again just before one of Shuhei's scythes was about to cut her down. Just like before her mirror absorbed the weapon and shot back it back towards its source making it look as if one chain was continually feeding into the mirror as another with the scythe attached to is shot out at the same pace. Knowing what to expect Shuhei raised his other scythe ready to defend himself. Amaterasu rolled her eyes at their persistence only to gasp when Elaina appeared to her left and attempted to jab her face with her right fist.

Elaina watched in slight terror as Amaterasu attempted to turn her mirror once again only to be surprised when it seemed to stutter and several sparks shot out from the side. Shuhei gasped in surprise as his redirected attack changed trajectory ever so slightly missing him completely.

"_Damn these two"_ Amaterasu swore in her mind as she braced her mirror with her left arm and turned her head to the side to avoid taking a direct blow from Elaina's fist "you filthy commoners!" she hissed as swung her short sword with her right cutting into Elaina's abdomen shallowly forcing the Captain back as the last of Shuhei's chain left her mirror "you're going to suffer for this!"

"_I get it now…"_ Elaina thought in realization as she nursed her stomach wound with her left hand _"…I know how to beat her…"_ she turned her gaze towards Shuhei who had recovered himself though he appeared to be no worse for wear, the two locked gazes and nodded "…something the matter little princess?" Elaina asked in a mocking tone _"the tables are about to turn you evil bitch!"_

"Shut your filthy mouth!" Amaterasu commanded.

"Now, now, let's make this interesting" Elaina stated as she crossed her arms in front of her chest "take this as a compliment, even with this it'll take me at least fifteen seconds to kill you…" Amaterasu opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by an explosion in Elaina's spiritual pressure "…Bankai! Kurohenkan Onitsume!" her other three limbs transformed to match her right arm which combined with her eyes and the marks covering her body made her look more demonic than human.

*With Jyushiro, Ichigo, and Rukia*

"Dance…Sode No Shirayuki" Rukia called out causing her katana to turn white as snow with a long matching ribbon.

"Bankai: Tensa Zangetsu!" Ichigo cried out as his large crescent blade turned into a normal sized jet black katana and his kimono changed to a sleeker more tattered design.

"All waves rise and become my shield, lightning strike forth and become my blade; Sogyo No Kotowari!" Jyushiro chanted causing his katana to divide into two a hook pointing towards the guards emerging from the back of the blades and a long red rope with several metallic charms connected the handles at the base.

"A wise decision for you to come at me three against one" Inari stated without the slightest sign of emotion as he stretched out one of his hands and grabbed a long pole sticking out of the water, his brown hair, eyes, and kimono combined with his muscular build gave him a bear like appearance " unfortunately for you, out of all the royals barring my father, my combat abilities are the absolute highest…" with a single pull he revealed a dark blue pole the length of his body with a katana attached to the other end, the pole was covered in gems and the katana's blade was an unusually light brown color.

"_His weapon is a naginata? (a naginata is basically a katana with a long pole attached to the base of the handle; for more info on this particular naginata see my author's comments at the end)"_ Jyushiro thought in surprise at the prince's odd choice of weaponry.

"…combine that with my Amenonuhoko and you don't stand a chance, even if it were to suddenly be thirty against one" Inari stated as he held the weapon upside down by the handle of the katana and dipped the tip into the water and spun it in a circular motion.

Ichigo's blood came to a boil as memories of the former Captains begging him to kill them ran through his mind, without thinking he dashed towards Inari "we'll see about that!" he declared but stumbled for a moment as he nearly tripped over himself _"what?"_

"Ichigo you idiot" Rukia cried out from behind.

"_Why did I nearly fall over? More importantly why don't I feel like I'm going at full speed?" _Ichigo wondered.

"Poor little fool" Inari replied as he leapt into the air high above the orange haired teen's head "you'll be the first to go" he swung his blade in a downward motion.

Ichigo could only gasp in shock as a huge mass of rock appeared above him approximately thirty feet long and about ten feet wide came rushing towards him.

"Hadou 63: Raikohou!" Jyushiro chanted firing a massive blast of energy which effectively split the rock in half.

"Thanks Captain Ukitake" Ichigo called out just before the two halves slammed into the ground several yards to his sides causing an earthquake which created waves as tall as his shoulders, the force behind the waves nearly caused him to lose his footing.

"ICHIGO YOU IDIOT!" a now drenched Rukia shouted before kicking him in the face "what's wrong with you?" Ichigo had to rub his face with his free hand "Why did you charge in by yourself? And why didn't you just use a Getsuga Tenshou to shatter that rock on yourself?"

"_I must have been to upset over those guys from Squad Zero"_ Ichigo thought himself as Rukia continued yelling in his face but he mostly ignored her _"but still…why can't I shake this feeling that fighting in a place like this isn't a good idea?" _the young substitute shinigami's thoughts were cut short when suddenly Inari appeared behind Rukia with the bladed end of his weapon raised "RUKIA LOOK OUT!"

"_Damn it…"_ Rukia swore in her mind as she turned to see the blade quickly approaching her and Ichigo tried to get between them _"…I got distracted!"_

Luckily for Rukia, a familiar pair of twin swords locked blades with the sword end of Inari's Naginata before it could touch a hair on her head. Inari raised his left eye brow in slight surprise as the silver haired Captain parried with his left sword while preparing to counter with his right. Not wanting to be run through Inari leapt back to avoid the thrust.

"You move well Captain" Inari stated dryly without any hint of mocking or complementation in his voice "most people don't move that well when forced to fight here, but for you it's as if it's second nature."

"I'm one of the three oldest Captains in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads" Jyushiro replied calmly yet fiercely "you don't hold a position like this for over 200 years without learning how to fight in different environments…"

"…_environments" _Ichigo and Rukia pondered in their heads before it sank in _"Of course!"_

"…you guard your crystal here in this marsh in the hopes that the water will slow down your enemy's movements and cause them to lose their footing…" Jyushiro continued as he thought back to how Ichigo nearly tripped over himself "…it may not sound like much; but even for powerful shinigami, adding a greater level of resistance to their legs can easily through off their stances if they don't know how to adjust."

"Bastard that's a cheap trick!" Ichigo swore angrily at the large prince.

"Calm down Ichigo, I have a plan" Rukia commanded as she stabbed the tip of her sword into the water's surface three times before raising it to her shoulders with the blade pointing towards Inari "Second dance, Hakuren!" she thrust her sword forward causing a large blast of snow and ice to shoot forward.

Inari immediately leapt into the air to avoid being frozen solid by Rukia's technique as the water he had been standing in began to freeze. Out of the corners of their eyes, Jyushiro and Ichigo saw the water they were standing in beginning to freeze over as well, nodding in understanding the two men leapt into the air before being followed by Rukia. Near the height of their jumps the shinigami and Inari saw the entire marsh to freeze over.

"Hadou 73: Soransoukatsui" Jyushiro chanted firing two large blue fireballs towards the ground causing a large explosion which covered the battlefield in a shallow layer of snow _"that should give us some footing"_ he thought as they landed on some cold, but solid ground.

"Smart move, this kind of environment is indeed much easier for you to move around in" Inari stated dryly.

"You don't seem all that concerned that my subordinate just took away your advantage" Jyushiro replied _"does this man have any emotions at all?"_

"I'm sure someone as experienced as you realizes…" Inari began as he twirled his Naginata around so that the pole end was pointing towards the three shinigami "…all I have to do is bring in more water…" he was cut off when Ichigo suddenly appeared in front of him with his sword raised _"…he's fast!"_

"Like I'll let you!" Ichigo hissed as he lunged his blade towards Inari's chest.

Inari quickly swung his weapon around, much to Ichigo's surprise a thick stream of water followed in its tracks. The current was so strong that the thrust Ichigo had aimed at the large prince's chest was forced to the side so that the blade pierced nothing but air. The orange haired teen stumbled forward due to how violently his arm jerked to the side. Out of the corner of his eye Ichigo saw the blade of the katana end swinging towards his head. Within moments Ichigo leapt to the right; though he avoided a fatal blow, he had fresh blood running down his face from a wound just above his left eye.

"Damn it" Ichigo swore as he wiped the blood away from his eye.

"One's a Captain, one has incredible Kidou abilities, and the third…" Inari said calmly as he focused on Ichigo "…he's reckless, but his instincts and reflexes are outstanding…" he raised his weapon into the air and began to spin it around rapidly as his spiritual pressure began to skyrocket.

"Captain Ukitake" Rukia gasped as more and more water began to spew from the pole end of Inari's weapon "the water…" cracks began to spread in the ice.

"I know…it was a good effort Rukia" Jyushiro sighed.

"Getsuga Tenshou" Ichigo cried out sending a black wave of energy towards Inari who dodged it by pointing the pole end of his weapon towards the ground shooting out a massive stream of water which propelled him up into the air "damn it" he swore as the water came rushing towards him and his friends.

Ichigo, Rukia, and Jyushiro all braced themselves against the ten foot tall tidal wave crashed down on them. The volume was so great that they felt as if they were being pounded with solid sheets of rock as opposed to water, the fact that their wet clothes made them feel as if their weight had suddenly increased fifty fold did help either.

"Damn" Rukia swore as she saw the water at her feet beginning to rise, she was caught off guard when the ice beneath her suddenly collapsed _"I only made our problem worse!"_ she let out a loud gasp when she saw a spear like blast of water shooting towards her chest.

"I won't let you!" Jyushiro stated defiantly as leapt in front of Rukia with his left sword extended towards the attack.

Inari's eyes popped open in shock as his attack seemed to instantly turn against him after Jyushiro lifted his right sword towards the prince. Thinking quickly he temporarily lowered the volume of the water gushing out of his weapon to lower himself just in time to avoid losing his head.

"_The Captain can redirect attacks just like Amaterasu"_ Inari noted as Rukia pulled herself back up out of the corner of his eye he saw another arch of black energy rushing towards him "such an irritant" he quickly increased the pressure again to raise himself back to his previous altitude.

"Bastard, why don't you get down here and fight like a man?" Ichigo taunted.

"Such foul language, perhaps I should simply raise the water level over your heads right now so you'll drown" Inari threatened coldly which seemed to infuriate the orange haired teen as the water now reached half way up his shins.

"You're bluffing" Jyushiro stated calmly.

"You think so?" Inari asked in response.

"In the short time we've been here it's obvious to me that you're not the type who fights for enjoyment, if anything you like to finish battles as quickly as possible for that very reason" Jyushiro began "the only reason you haven't simply drowned us by raising the water level…" small waves splashed against the Captain's legs "…is because there's a limit to how much water you can create at once with that naginata of yours."

"And why do you think that?" Inari inquired but batted an eye brow when Jyushiro pointed his right sword at him.

"Just now when you dodged Ichigo's attack; you increased the volume of water being spewed out by the pole end of your weapon to dodge it by raising your elevation. But before that, when you dodged the attack I redirected at you…" Jyushiro continued as Inari began to scowl at him "…you lowered the volume of water…after observing such behavior one has to ask why you didn't increase the volume instead like you did with Ichigo's attack? After all it's basic strategy that taking the highest ground possible can help maximize your advantage in combat, especially if you're out numbered and you're skilled in long range attacks" Jyushiro locked gazes with Inari before finishing with "the only reason you didn't raise the water volume coming from your weapon is because you couldn't, or did you think I wouldn't notice you're back to the same level you were before I redirected your attack?"

"Amazing" Rukia said in admiration.

"_To think he could gleam all that information from less than half a minute of fighting…"_ Ichigo thought, equally amazed _"…Captains really are amazing…"_ his train of thought was broken by a soft applause coming from above.

"Very perceptive Captain, you are indeed a worthy adversary" Inari admitted "it's as you say, there is a limit to how much water I can pump out at once, and that is the only reason I didn't simply drown you all when you entered my territory; however…" he slid his right hand up towards the handle of the katana end "…water is only one of the elements of my Amenonuhoko; in addition to the powers of the sea, it also possesses the powers of the earth!"

A vivid memory of the mass of rock Inari had produced earlier flashed through Ichigo's mind "like I'll let you do that again" he cried as he raised his sword with both hands as it was enveloped in black energy before swinging it vertically "GETSUGA TENSHOU!" he shouted creating an even larger vertical arc which reached all the way from the ground up to Inari's current height.

"_Clever"_ Inari thought as he quickly raised his weapon so that the pole end was facing behind him before a quick burst of water shot him sideways _"he used a large vertical blast so that I couldn't simply dodge it by altering my distance from the ground, no matter…" _ he pointed the tip of his blade towards the ground below him causing several boulders the size of cars to fall violently towards the ground "…they still won't beat me."

Upon impact the boulders created numerous tidal waves in every direction which reached up to Ichigo and Jyushiro shoulders, the two men managed to dig their feet into the ground and avoided being knocked to the ground. Unfortunately for Rukia however, her small stature caused her to lose her footing and fall onto her backside; worst still she had to close her eyes to avoid being blinded by the sand and the salt being kicked up by the water.

"RUKIA LOOK OUT!" was all the small shinigami could here as struggled to her feet and began to brush the water away from her eyes frantically to regain her vision.

"Shit…" Rukia swore softly when she finally saw what was coming; approximately 30 feet above her head Rukia saw a massive slate of rock the size of a school bus crashing down towards her and both Ichigo and Jyushiro were too far away to do anything about it, thinking quickly she raised her sword and cried out "First dance: Tsukishiro!" moments later a large pillar of ice shot up from the water and caught the rock before it could reach the ground.

Before she could let out a sigh of relief Inari appeared just above her head with the katana end of his weapon raised. Rukia barely had time to raise her own sword to avoid having her head split open. Using every ounce of strength her legs could give her Rukia manage to parry Inari's weapon upward and attempted to thrust her sword through his neck. However Inari sidestepped her attack and attempted to slash her at the waist.

Fortunately for Rukia Ichigo forced Inari's blade into the ground by striking the back of it with his sword and attempting to cut the prince's chest with a follow up attack. Inari quickly jumped back and was only grazed slightly by Ichigo's attack.

"_This guy…he's too much for me…"_ Rukia thought as an intense pain began to shoot through her limbs _"…those attacks of his…"_ she thought back to the slash she had just blocked and the one Ichigo had just barely saved her from _"…even if I am fast enough to block them, with power like that…if my blade doesn't break my arms will…"_ her gaze drifted from Ichigo to her Captain who leapt in to attack the prince and the two were trading blows _"…right now I'm only a burden on Ichigo and Captain Ukitake…"_ she clenched her fists tightly _"…no choice, I hoped I wouldn't have to use this until I had fully mastered it…"_

Inari successfully forced Jyushiro back with a horizontal swipe cut into the Captain's upper robe. What happened next nearly gave the two younger shinigami a heart attack as he held his weapon perfectly horizontally with the blade end pointing towards them as a large stream of water shot out from the pole end propelling the prince in their direction. Ichigo gritted his teeth as his sword was engulfed in black energy before locking blades with the prince. The sheer force of Inari's strength behind the blade combined with the force of the water caused Ichigo's feet to begin to sink into the muddy ground below nearly knocking him off balance. Seeing an opportunity to land a hit Rukia leapt towards him with her sword raised intending to bury her blade in the man's skull, however Inari caught on and quickly parried Ichigo to the other side while he spun his weapon ninety degrees causing Rukia to take a full strength blast of sea water from the pole end of his naginata at point blank range.

The force of the water felt as if Rukia had run face forward into a cement wall. Almost instantly upon impact Rukia was sent flying back at such a velocity that her body literally punched a hole through the pillar of ice she had just created causing the rock and some of the ice that was holding it to come crashing down to earth. After rolling violently for a great distance to try and regain her footing she was almost immediately swept up by a tidal wave approximately three stories high which propelled her back even further until she was slammed into one of the previous rocks. The sheer force of the impact caused the young woman to fall face forward into the water unconscious.

"RUKIA" Ichigo shouted.

"Ichigo, get her to safety now!" Jyushiro ordered.

"Right" Ichigo replied as he ran towards her.

"It was a mistake to bring her along" Inari stated calmly as Ichigo scooped her and her sword into his arms before jumping on top of the rock to make sure she was alright "out of the three of you, her spiritual pressure is by far the weakest" Jyushiro turned towards him "if not for you and that boy she would have died twenty times over at the very least."

"That is quite enough out of you" Jyushiro said sternly as his spiritual pressure began to rise sharply "you should know…I don't take kindly to people who insult my subordinates" Inari opened his eyes in shock as the water surrounding the white haired Captain was beginning to be pushed back the sheer power he was letting out.

"Good, she's only knocked out" Ichigo sighed in relief as he noted the small shinigami's breath, his attention was suddenly called back to the fight when he felt Jyushiro's spiritual pressure begin to climb steadily _"amazing…"_

Jyushiro leapt towards Inari causing the water surrounding him to part as he moved towards his target and thrust his left sword towards Inari's shoulder. The prince raised the blade end of his naginata in an attempt to parry the sword, however much to Inari's surprise Jyushiro flicked his wrist and actually caught Inari's blade with his sword's second hooked blade. The white haired Captain then pulled his left sword towards him causing Inari to momentarily lose his balance as he thrust his right sword into Inari's left pectoral.

Blood squirt out from the wound as Jyushiro pulled his sword free from Inari's chest. He attempted to follow up with a second thrust but Inari snaked his weapon free and leapt back at the last moment. Inari countered be spinning his naginata around and fired a volley of spear shaped streams of water at the Captain, Jyushiro countered by absorbing the attacks with his left sword before firing them back with his right; the prince quickly shielded his vitals with his arms and legs to prevent a fatal blow, however the impact of his redirected attack left dark black bruises on his forearms and shins.

Slightly frustrated with the difficulty he was facing, Inari held his weapon so that the pole end was facing behind him and created a stream of water to propel himself forward at great speeds. He circled the Captain several times kicking up massive waves which never reached him due to the force of his spiritual pressure, eventually he leapt towards Jyushiro's back and tried to run him through. Unfortunately for Inari, Jyushiro knew full well what he was going to try and do. Before the Prince was even half way towards his target Jyushiro spun around a hundred and eighty degrees and deflected his blade with his left sword before swinging down with his right sword digging into Inari's chest from left shoulder all the way down to the right side of his stomach.

Inari quickly spun his weapon around to propel himself away from the formidable Captain and began to breathe heavily as he tried to regain his composure, which was not easy due to the fact that the water was now over his waist and the salt within it caused his cuts to burn terribly. This problem was only made worse when he saw a bright light coming from Jyushiro.

"Hadou 73: Soransoukatsui!" Jyushiro chanted launching a spiraling pair of blue fireballs racing towards Inari.

Unable to dodge due to the water and his injuries, Inari held his weapon up so that the blade was pointing down in front of him creating a solid wall of rock between him and the Captain's spell. However the sheer power behind Jyushiro's attack caused the wall to explode and sent Inari flying back until he crash landed on top of the large bus sized rock he had attempted to crush Rukia with earlier. Lying on the ground he looked towards his right hand and tightened his grip preparing to stand back up to fight. Unfortunately for him Jyushiro appeared out of nowhere and pinned his right arm to the ground by stepping on the prince's hand.

"He got him" Ichigo said excitedly as he observed from afar _"good thing too, if the water kept rising I don't know if I could keep Rukia from drowning."_

"You're beaten" Jyushiro stated with neither sternness nor pity as he held his left sword in front of the prince's temple "surrender peacefully and let us destroy the shield crystal and I'll let you live."

"Don't waste your pity on me Captain" Inari replied with a hint of malice in his voice "I may not know what it's like for you shinigami in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, but failure in the royal family means death!"

Jyushiro looked around at how high the water was and how large the area was and realized how long it would take them to find it if what Inari said was true, it would take time, time which they lacked "What a waste of a life…" Jyushiro sighed heavily a sense of sadness and dread evident in his expression as he raised his right sword preparing to finish his opponent off "…I'll make this quick…" he swung his sword forward mere moments away from dealing a killing blow to the younger man, fate however decided it was time to play one of her cruel jokes…

Inari was flabbergasted at what was happening in front of him; with only moments separating him from certain death at the hands of the white haired Captain of Squad Thirteen, said Captain's grip suddenly failed as he began to cough up blood uncontrollably, his swords fell to the ground with a loud clanging of metal as their mastered stumbled back, his hands now died red with his own blood.

"Oh no!" Ichigo gasped as he raised his left hand and dawned his mask and rushed towards Jyushiro as fast as he could _"I have to help him!" _

"_What's going on here?"_ Inari thought in shock when he suddenly noticed Ichigo rushing towards him _"no matter, this is my chance!" _he raised his weapon with his right hand and ran towards Jyushiro.

Meanwhile Rukia finally managed to regain conciseness awoke to a sight right out of a nightmare. She watched in horror as Ichigo raced towards her Captain and Inari desperately trying to prevent what was happening. However he was too far away to do anything, all either of them could do was watch helplessly as Inari viciously thrust the katana end of his naginata forward piercing her Captain through the center of his chest.

"YOU BASTARD!" Ichigo screamed as he leapt towards the prince who quickly threw Jyushiro off his weapon with a quick swing before locking blades with the orange haired teen.

Without thinking, Rukia immediately grabbed her sword and rushed towards Jyushiro as fast as she could. Unfortunately for her she lacked Ichigo's speed and agility and so she had to force her way towards him through water which was now just below her shoulders. For the small shinigami, the seconds it took her to reach her Captain felt like years as she felt her heart rate sky rocket and the color seemed to drain from her face. When she finally reached him the water surrounding him had already been dyed red with his blood with him lying face down in the middle of it.

"Captain Ukitake, hang in there!" Rukia begged as she turned him over and began to administer healing Kidou to the wound in his torso, she saw him wince in pain "just hold on Captain, you're going to be alright…" tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

"Rukia...don't waste your energy…" Jyushiro managed to squeeze out as his mouth began to fill with blood.

"Please don't try to speak Captain…just give me a minute…I'll have you fixed up in no time" Rukia pleaded as she tried desperately to heal her Captain "…you're…you're going to…" she was cut off by Jyushiro's gentle hand on her face.

"It's alright Rukia…there's no need to pretend…after all…not even Captain Unohana would be able to save someone with this much heart damage…" Jyushiro stated weakly.

"Captain" Rukia nearly choked on her own words as blood continued to spill forward in spite of her best efforts.

"Please Rukia…take care of Kiyone, Sentarou, and Squad Thirteen…" Jyushiro requested "…and if you'd be so kind… please tell that brother of yours he should try to relax and enjoy life more…" he coughed up even more blood which seemed to startle the young woman "…also please tell Shunsui I'm grateful for his friendship all these years…and tell the Head Captain…I'm sorry I wasn't able to follow his order in the end…" much to Rukia's horror his hand slowly slid down her face leaving behind a small trail of blood before it splashed into the water around the two shinigami and his eyes slowly shut.

"Captain…Captain Ukitake…" Rukia called out to him but he didn't respond "…come on now…" tears began to race down her cheeks "…you can't die, not here, not like this…Captain…" memories began to flash before; her early years in Squad Thirteen under him and Kaien, his wisdom as he taught her the meaning of honor, his courage as he helped rescue her from execution, but most of all it was his smile…the familiar, welcoming, and kind smile of the man whom she and the entire thirteenth squad had come to love and admire like a father "…please don't leave us…Captain Ukitake…" she pulled his body in closer trying to find even the slightest sign of life but to no avail causing her to break down before crying "…CAPTAIN UKITAKE!" Like Jyushiro before her, her Spiritual pressure began to rise and slowly the water surrounding her began to be pushed away.

"Rukia" Ichigo gasped as he traded blows with Inari who thanks to his injuries was having trouble using his left arm _"her spiritual pressure…when the hell did it get this strong?"_

"_Listen closely to me Rukia"_ a female voice echoed in Rukia's memory of the past three months since Aizen's death _"this power that you're trying to obtain is not for the faint of heart; if your resolve isn't stronger than steel, not only will you be unable to obtain it…but you'll more than likely die here…"_

"_If…if only I had used this right off the bat like Ichigo had…perhaps we could have won already…perhaps we could already have destroyed the crystal…perhaps…"_ Rukia thought as her power continued to grow stronger and more violent and her tears began to solidify _"…Captain Ukitake would still be alright!"_ she tightened her right fist around her sword as she held her arms underneath her fallen Captain, she turned her glare towards the haggard and injured Inari "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT, MARK MY WORDS!" she leapt up to the rock where Ichigo and Inari were fighting.

"Rukia…is this?" Ichigo asked dumbfounded by what he was witnessing.

Rukia ignored his question choosing to only answer by laying Jyushiro's body on the ground holding her sword out in front of her before loudly shouting "BANKAI!" she was immediately surrounded in a veil of intense white light as the temperature in the area began to plummet.

*With Byakuya and Youmei*

"_I wonder what they're discussing."_ Tsukuyomi thought to herself.

"Yes…" Youmei replied as Byakuya whispered into her ear before replying "…what did you say Captain Kuchki?"

"You heard me, I don't need you so get out of my way" Byakuya stated coldly as he held his left hand in front of her chest before chanting "Hadou 1: Sho" suddenly the red haired Captain of Squad Three was sent flying back out of the sight of Byakuya and Tsukuyomi.

"Interesting, you think you can handle me on your own?" Tsukuyomi asked in an amused tone.

"I don't **think** anything" Byakuya replied stoically as he held out his sword "I simply know…Bankai Senbonzakura Kageyoshi" he dropped his sword causing dozens more to rise from the ground before shattering into countless blades which erupted in an area around him, chopping down trees while making to appear as if the skies were full of cherry blossoms.

"Impressive Bankai" Tsukuyomi complimented as she suddenly appeared right next to Byakuya before slamming him in the face with her right arm sending him flying to the side "but it won't be enough."

"We'll see about that" Byakuya stated calmly as he sent a large wave of blades towards Tsukuyomi who seemed to vanish whenever they drew close and only caused more trees to fall to the ground.

Byakuya immediately used Shunpo to try and create some distance between him and Tsukuyomi as she kept disappearing only to reappear closer to him. The stoic Captain of Squad Six continued to send waves of his blades towards the princess, but aside from the ground and trees, they struck nothing. They continued playing their game of cat and mouse for several minutes as Byakuya focused on his shunpo and Bankai attacks, while Tsukuyomi slowly closed the distance between the two.

"This charade has gone on long enough!" Tsukuyomi hissed as she kneed Byakuya in the stomach causing him to fall to the ground, no sooner had Byakuya stopped rolling had Tsukuyomi dug her knee caps into his shoulders pinning him to the ground "any last words before I wring your neck?"

Byakuya found himself struggling to breathe with the princess on top of him, however he looked up at the sky above him and saw a flock of birds flying over head, much to Tsukuyomi's confusion he smirked ever so slightly "I was right about your artifact."

"What do you mean?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"The birds…" Byakuya began "…when you knocked me against a tree earlier I saw a small flock of them in the distance…they were flying about so fast I almost couldn't make out what they were…while the ones over our heads appear to be flying at normal speeds…"

"So what?" Tsukuyomi replied.

"If all your necklace did was increase your speed like we first thought then it shouldn't have any effect on the animals in the vicinity, unless…" Byakuya continued "…your necklace actually doesn't make you faster but rather it causes time to slow down for everyone and everything within a certain radius except for the person wearing the necklace…that's why the birds in the distance appeared as a blur while the birds overhead appear to be moving at a normal pace."

Tsukuyomi was speechless at Byakuya's analysis "I admit I'm impressed, but what good will it do you? After all, you're within my artifact's area of effect; for all practical purposes I may as well have the speed of a God while you're a lowly urchin with broken limbs."

"True enough at this distance there's no way I could take you because of your **speed,** but…" Byakuya began "…what if someone were to observe us from a great distance and attack you from afar?"

Almost immediately the color seemed to drain from Tsukuyomi's face as she looked behind her to see a long trail of fallen trees and debris which seemed to stretch on forever before stopping a particularly old and tall tree. And though she couldn't make it out from such a distance Tsukuyomi already realized that within the tree's foliage waited a certain red head.

Said red head was lying on her stomach on top of one of the tree's higher branches. Her Bankai had once again changed forms but instead a bulky shotgun or chain gun, it was now in the form of a very thin but long rifle; she rested the but of the handle against her left should as she meticulously observed Tsukuyomi and Byakuya through a scope mounted on top which stopped just before a barrel which was as long as she was tall and had several small legs to help stabilize it.

"It can't be…from this distance there's no way…" Tsukuyomi gasped in shock.

"Never underestimate a Captain Princess Tsukuyomi" Byakuya stated coldly "it always winds up being a fatal mistake…"

"Why you arrogant!" Tsukuyomi hissed before punching him in the face mercilessly.

"Distance approximately 2.5 kilometers…" Youmei noted as she lined up her sights with her prey.

"_Does your Bankai have a form which allows you to hit a target from a great distance?" _Byakuya's question echoed through her recent memories.

"_Yes"_ was Youmei's one word response.

"_Good, listen carefully" _Byakuya's voice echoed _"I have reason to suspect that her necklace slows down time for everyone and everything within a certain radius of the wearer…what I need you to do is get as much distance between you and her and be prepared to take her down, I'll act as a decoy and draw her away…"_

"_Nice of pretty boy to take down all those trees while he lead her away from us"_ Savage said inside of Youmei's mind _"thanks to him you've a clean view."_

"…_indeed, that's why I have to make this count…"_ Youmei thought as Tsukuyomi continued to beat Byakuya in her rage"…winds northeast at approximately 7 kilometers per hour…" she saw Tsukuyomi's face stained with Byakuya's blood "…adjusting firing angle to account for winds, gravity, and distance…" Tsukuyomi began to stretch her hands towards Byakuya's throat "…and…"

"…FIRE!" both Youmei's cried out in sync as they squeezed the trigger.

It was all over in a matter of moments; first came the soft click of the trigger, immediately afterwards the whole gun began to glow a dark intense blue as loud bang echoed throughout the area, smoke began to gush out of the vents of the barrel as a single small but very intense blast of energy shot out from the weapon and raced towards the princess like the judgment of an angry god. Within a single moment the shot pierced through Tsukuyomi's chest before digging deeply into the ground only a few inches away from Byakuya's head. The princess was unable to offer any form of reply due to the fact that she was dead before she even hit the ground.

As soon as she confirmed that she'd hit her target, Youmei immediately rushed over to Byakuya's side as fast as her shunpo could carry her. When she finally reached him she gasped in horror at his bloodied face.

"What's wrong?" Byakuya asked weakly.

"Captain Kuchki…your face…" Youmei stuttered slightly.

"I'll live" Byakuya replied calmly as he struggled to his feet but almost fell back down if not for Youmei wrapping his arm around her shoulder to support him "you'll have to complete our objective…"

"Right…" Youmei stated "…please just sit down for a moment, I'll take you back to Captain Unohana in just a minute" she turned her gaze towards the sky and saw the trail of energy running towards the castle, in a matter of moments she traced it to a large light blue crystal the size of a small house a few dozen yards away.

"_Might I suggest the big one?"_ Savage asked within her host's mind _"after all you do want to get him treated quickly don't you?"_

"Good idea" Youmei whispered softly as she raised her rifle and it transformed once again, this time into a large tube shaped weapon which she had to kneel down on one leg, prop it up onto her left shoulder, and use both hands to aim and support the bulky instrument of destruction "target acquired" as she aimed down the sights at the crystal.

"_I must say I love this new willingness of yours to engage in destruction"_ Savage chuckled.

"_Shut up for once"_ Youmei thought in reply causing Savage to laugh hysterically while a huge blast of energy shot out from their bazooka and raced towards its target resulting in a large explosion upon impact, the force from both the shot and the explosion nearly knocked the Captain to the ground as shards of the former crystal began to rain down around them.

*With Elaina and Shuhei*

"Fifteen seconds, surely you jest" Amaterasu stated in an offended tone of voice.

"At least, may take a few more but you've got the gist of it" Elaina replied "last chance to back down."

"No chance" Amaterasu answered.

Elaina turned her gaze towards Shuhei and the two nodded "I'd say it was nice knowing you, but I never cared much for lying" Elaina took one step forward and punched towards Amaterasu with her left hand causing an energy replica to jab towards the sadistic princess.

Amaterasu pulled her mirror out in front of her and absorbed the attack into the left half of the mirror's surface before redirecting it back towards its master out of the right side. Without letting up on the energy she was putting into her left arm's attack Elaina moved her right leg in front and caught her own spectral fist with her right hand. Amaterasu smirked as she saw the amount of strain just trying to keep her own attack at bay was taking on Elaina's right arm; scales were beginning to turn black and large cracks were forming along the entire length of the limb and they only became more pronounced the closer you got to her hand.

The princess was confident that she had won but she found herself shaken slightly when she saw a smirk spread across the raven haired Captain's face. Her feeling of victory quickly faded when she heard a disturbing metallic sound from behind her. Sure enough as soon as she turned her head she saw one of Shuhei's scythes spinning towards the small of her back. She tried to turn her mirror to catch the scythe but due to the width it took up to absorb Elaina's attack and to redirect it, she was unable to turn her mirror so much as a single inch never mind a full one hundred and eighty degrees. Left with no alternative other than certain death, Amaterasu leap into the air.

Shuhei's scythe cut the Yata Mirror in half causing the two pieces to fall to the ground with a loud clang of metal and broken glass. Though she had lost her artifact, Amaterasu smirked as Shuhei's scythe continued to race towards his Captain; at the same time the redirected portion of Elaina's attack vanished due to the mirror's destruction, however the portion originating from her left arm was racing towards Shuhei's face like a rocket.

"_Fools they're about to kill each other"_ Amaterasu thought in delight.

At the last moment Elaina pulled her left arm back canceling the flow of energy causing her attack to vanish with only a second or two left before she would have popped his head open like a melon. Likewise Shuhei pulled on his scythe's chain as hard as he could causing it to stop mid air with only an inch or two separating his scythe from Elaina's body. Both Captain and Lieutenant let out a heavy sigh of relief causing Amaterasu's eyes to open in shock at how narrowly they had dodged their respective bullets.

Her amazement quickly turn to terror as Elaina spun her left leg back to brace herself as she reached out towards Amaterasu sending a much larger energy copy towards the still airborne princess. Without her mirror, Amaterasu was left with no means to protect herself as copy's hand locked her in its vice like grip.

"Game over!" Elaina called out as she slammed Amaterasu into the ground with all her might creating a dust cloud several stories in height.

"How?" Amaterasu asked weakly as she pulled herself out of a large crater, her body was beaten and bloodied and she was covered in dirt; using all her will she raised her head to glare at Shuhei and Elaina who were now standing over her "how did you do that, that kind of timing is beyond anything normal shinigami can…"

"Well for starters we're not **normal** shinigami" Elaina stated bluntly "we're a Captain and a Lieutenant, on top of that we we're both ranked among the Soul Society's elites even before I became a Captain."

"But how could you trust each other to stop your attacks?" Amaterasu asked "my Yata Mirror showed me…the two of you should have no trust in each other…" she pointed her finger towards Shuhei "…especially you boy…how could you pass up such an opportunity…when she…she killed your mentor?"

"Obviously that mirror of yours didn't give you the whole picture" Shuhei replied calmly.

*Flashback*

Shuhei was making his way through the Tenth Squad's administrative building with a strong sense of purpose. Even though the members of the Tenth were a sturdy lot due to being subordinates of the new Head Captain, they still made a point to clearing the way for Squad Nine's Lieutenant.

"Ah Shuhei, how are you doing?" Rangiku asked cheerfully causing him to stumble slightly as the sight of the busty Lieutenant.

"Rangiku…good to see you…" Shuhei began as he regained his composure.

"What brings you to Squad Ten?" Rangiku asked curiously "do you need to speak to the Ca…I mean Head Captain?"

"Actually I wondering if I could talk to your forth seat?" Shuhei inquired with a slight hint of nervousness.

"To Elaina?" Rangiku replied.

"I just want to ask her something" Shuhei stated seeing the curious glint in his friend's eye.

"Alright, we're been really busy since the war ended so please take a seat" Rangiku instructed "she'll come see you as soon as she's done."

"Thank you" Shuhei replied as he sat right outside the main office.

"Sorry to keep you waiting" Elaina stated as she emerged from the office an hour later slightly startling the Lieutenant who had fallen half asleep.

"It's no trouble, I take it you've been busy?" Shuhei replied.

"Let me put it this way all the vacancies among the Captains' seats, the aftermath of the war against Aizen, and the chaos caused by having our Captain being made the old man's last minute successor has created a real paperwork nightmare" Elaina explained with a rather annoyed tone of voice "so Rangiku says you wanted to talk to me?"

"Um yes, I've heard a lot of rumors that you're applying to take the Captain's exam" Shuhei began.

"So is Youmei, apparently she and Lieutenant Kira sat down for a couple of drinks recently and they got along real well…" Elaina stated plainly as she began to make her way through the halls "…I guess they can relate one another due to their timid natures; she told me she was going to request to be assigned to Squad Three."

"That's good to hear, so you are going to apply?" Shuhei asked seeking definite confirmation.

"Got the forms signed and dated right here" Elaina answered showing him the papers she was carrying "all that's left is for me to drop them by Head Captain Hitsugaya…" she let out a small sigh "…I'm going to miss tormenting him every day it was always so much fun…"

"Do you have a particular Squad in mind?" Shuhei inquired Elaina couldn't help but notice a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"I haven't specified a particular Squad" Elaina stated calmly "if I had to guess the Head Captain will probably want me to take over either Squad One or Seven since they lost both their Captains and Lieutenants in the war…" she looked around to make sure that the hallway was empty "…why do you ask?"

"I…I was wondering…" Shuhei began though he was struggling to find the words "…if you'd be interested in applying…for the Squad Nine's Captaincy…" his request caused the dark skinned fourth seat to stop in her tracks.

"Lieutenant Hisagi…you do realize that I'm the one who killed Captain Tousen right?" Elaina replied with a heavy tone "I'm sure you don't need me to explain this to you, but unlike in Squad Three where most of the troops were afraid of Captain Ichimaru; your squad really looked up to Kaname Tousen as a role model…" she ran her fingers through her bangs "…it just sounds like a really bad idea to ask the person who killed him to try and take his position."

"I know it sounds that way" Shuhei admitted heavily "I admit that some part of me does begrudge you for killing Captain Tousen…"

"I'm grateful for your honesty" Elaina sighed weakly.

"…however…" Shuhei continued "…I saw the entire fight between you and him…I witnessed your hesitation, your sadness, and…" he clenched his fist tightly "…your kindness towards him in spite of the fact that he had betrayed you and your father…" he looked at her with an almost begging expression "…though your personalities are quite different I believe the best qualities of the Captain Tousen that I and the Ninth Squad admired exist in you; his intelligence, his honor, and his hatred of violence…"

"Lieutenant Hisagi you give me too much credit" Elaina chuckled lightly.

"…that's why I want you to become our Captain. I've talked it over with the rest of the squad and I told them what happened…and they agree with me" Shuhei finished.

"You're absolutely serious about this?" Elaina inquired and Shuhei nodded, after a few moments of silence Elaina reached into her robes and pulled out a pencil "before I fill in the blank I should warn you; even if I do have those virtues you mentioned earlier, I'm not Kaname Tousen, when I make Captain I intend to run my squad my own way…you understand?"

"Yes" Shuhei answered.

"Alright then" Elaina chuckled light heartedly as she wrote in the kanji for nine on the form "you'd best tell everyone in your squad to get ready; I plan to have my new position within a week."

"I understand and it's an honor…" Shuhei replied as the young woman made her way towards her Captain's office "…Captain" Elaina couldn't help but smile softly at the way he said it.

*Flashback end*

After Amaterasu collapsed and died from her injuries Elaina knelt down to the fallen princess and turned her so that she was lying on her back, she then proceeded to wrap her fingers together and gently shut her eyes.

"That's very honorable of you" Shuhei stated "I doubt she would have done the same for us."

"You're probably right" Elaina replied calmly "either way it's not what's important; I am not Amaterasu, actions like these help to guarantee I don't become her."

"You have a point…" Shuhei admitted before he got a closer look at Elaina's right arm which had several large cracks and scorch marks along the length and several streams of blood running down the length as it hanged limply to her side "…ma'am your arm! Are you okay?"

"To be honest it hurts like Hell" Elaina answered as she gritted her teeth "I may have it put into a brace or a cast for a couple weeks, I can't even move the damn thing" she winced slightly "let's wrap things up here" she focused her attention to her sight and finally found a large crystal emitting a powerful energy signature buried approximately one hundred yards away "found you!" she focused her energy into her left foot before performing a powerful axe kick which created a large spectral replica of her left leg which mimicked her movement and smashed the crystal into dust leaving behind nothing but a large crater and countless shards of the once powerful gem "let's get the Hell out of here Shuhei" Elaina commanded as she sealed her Bankai away and sheathed her sword left handed.

"Of course Captain Dark-Heart" Shuhei responded in compliance.

*With Rukia and Ichigo*

"_Bankai?"_ Ichigo thought in disbelief as he and Inari shielded their faces from all the power that Rukia was releasing _"when did she achieve it?"_

The skies overhead began to darken as thick clouds covered them as far as their eyes could see. Before either of them knew it, their breath was hanging in the air in front of them. The moisture which had been absorbed into their clothes began to freeze forcing both men to let out a small burst of energy to break the ice which threatened to halt their movements all together. And then snow began to fall gently upon their battle field as the light from the sword's final release began to fade revealing the figure behind the phenomenon.

Rukia emerged from the light wearing a long snow white robe with a light blue sash which reached all the way down to her feet and would most likely have allowed her to blend in with the weather if not for her black hair. In her right hand she held a sword roughly the same length it had possessed in its shikai state except that it now appeared to be carved out of solid ice with a large bluish white gem where the guard had been earlier. Upon closer inspection Ichigo saw that her right hand and much of her forearm now had veins of ice running down it.

"Zokuyou no Yuki-onna (Ballad of the Yuki-onna [see author's comments])" Rukia chanted "Sode no Shirayuki!"

"Rukia how did you…when did you…" Ichigo replied in amazement.

"Stay back Ichigo" Rukia commanded coldly as took a couple steps forward so that she was standing in between Jyushiro's body and his killer "I only obtained this power recently…" she held her sword parallel to her left arm "…so I'm not too sure about my control!"

Inari's eyes opened in shock as she swung her weapon horizontally causing a massive blast of snow to strike him from the side. The cold he felt was beyond anything he could imagine, the snow quickly clenched to his flesh, and he could have sworn he the blood from his wounds beginning to freeze. All of this was made worse by the intense wind which bit at his skin which only amplified the bitter cold of her attack. Eventually one of his feet gave way and he was blown off the rock.

Instead of splashing through the service of the artificial lake he had created with his Amenonuhoko, Inari crashed roughly onto a patch of ice which was covered by nothing but a thin layer of snow. The impact caused his nose to break which quickly covered the bottom portion of his face in blood, moments later the blood from this wound solidified due to the extreme temperature before he even managed to stand up.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rukia standing a couple dozen yards away. He immediately swung the sword end of his weapon in a vertical motion causing a large length of rocks to crash down onto the arctic surface. However the only result of his effort was to kick up numerous clouds of snow and ice into the air. Puzzled, Inari was nearly knocked to his knees when he felt the snow pick up in intensity once again in a merciless bombardment of wind and sheer cold.

Again he saw Rukia appear from a distance to his side, he swung the sword end of his weapon once again sending a barrage of rocks towards the white clad woman. Unfortunately for him, his target appeared to vanish with a simple twirl of her body and a blanket of snow causing his rocks to hit nothing but snow and ice. Yet again she appeared to him in another location, breathing heavily he tried once again to crush her under a mass of Earth but only succeeded in producing more clouds of snow and ice. This patter seemed to continue for an eternity for the large prince, all the while his breathing became heavier and heavier, his body began to shake more uncontrollably due to the cold, and despite the fact that he was locked in mortal combat; he found his eyelids growing incredibly heavy as if desperate for him to fall asleep.

In a final act of desperation Inari flipped his naginata around so that the pole end was facing towards the ground, he focused all his strength in trying to create a massive tsunami which would spread out and engulf Rukia and hopefully Ichigo as well; however the water he tried so desperately to create seemed to freeze almost instantly after emerging from his weapon. Try as he might, Inari could do nothing about the fact that his water attacks were now useless and his earth attacks were now ineffective.

As time dragged on and his breath became heavier and the cold seemed to steal the heat from his very body, Inari finally released his grip on his weapon causing it to fall against the snow with a soft thud as fell to his hands and knees covered in a thick blanket of snow; almost immediately afterward he found himself coughing up blood staining the ground in front of him, desperately he struggled to turn his head to see Rukia standing over him with an icy expression in her eyes with her hand tightly gripping the frozen blade which she had just run through his back. Without saying a word to his killer Inari collapsed on the ground.

"_Damn this snow storm, it's absolutely nuts!"_ Ichigo swore in his mind as it finally began to die down and he could see Rukia standing over the defeated form of Inari "RUKIA" he called out.

"Finish our mission Ichigo" Rukia commanded weakly as she resealed her sword causing it to change back into a normal katana and her robes changed back into her black kimono.

"Damn it" Ichigo swore weakly as he followed the energy trail in the sky to a spot in the distance, Ichigo focused his energy into his sword before swinging it in a downward motion and shouting "GETSUGA TENSHOU!" the wave of black energy caused a massive explosion, moments later he appeared standing next to his friend "Rukia…" he said softly as his mask vanished and he returned to his normal shikai form.

"It…doesn't…matter…" Inari managed to say weakly surprising both Ichigo and Rukia.

Rukia's face contorted in rage as she raised her sword again to finish him off but was stopped when Ichigo grabbed her wrist "Rukia…he'll be dead soon enough…" she could only shut her eyes tightly and look away "…as for you…" he turned his attention towards Inari "…that's a funny thing to say since you called yourself the strongest of the princes and look what happened to you!"

"I…I was only the strongest…physically…" Inari explained with the faint outline of a smile appeared on his face "…but the most dangerous of us…is my…older brother…Susanoo…as long as he lives…you'll all fail…" the prince's life quickly faded from his eyes as his body laid motionless never to rise again.

"Rukia" Ichigo muttered his friend's name softly not knowing what to say to her.

The only response Rukia could give was to open her grief filled eyes before burying her face into Ichigo's chest as she cried in despair at the loss of her beloved Captain. Recalling his own pain of loss from his mother's death Ichigo gently placed a hand behind Rukia's head and held her close in his embrace.

*Northwest area*

"_These two are well matched"_ Susanoo thought in amusement as he watched Alexander and his friend duke it out, he found himself surprised when he saw one stream of energy after another disappear from the other corners of the castle town _"those siblings of mine…so ineffective in their methods…"_

"Warlock Art: Anima!" Alexander called out shooting a blast of black energy towards the cloaked figure who vanished in a swirl of black energy before reappearing a few feet away "so you're a warlock!"

"That's correct" the figure answered as he removed his hood revealing a pair of dark blue eyes which caused Alexander to gasp in shock as he pulled a mane of waist length jet black hair free from the confines of his robes "it's been a long time, and it would appear that we've both gotten much stronger."

"It can't be…" Alexander stated in disbelief as he starred into the all too familiar face which had haunted his nightmares for the better part of his existence "…you were killed…twice…I literally saw you dragged into Hell myself…" he gripped his fists so tightly that a small amount of blood fell from his palms "…THERES NO WAY YOU COULD BE HERE!"

"Allow me to explain Prince Alexander" Susanoo commanded calmly as he took a step forward and snapped his fingers causing a large gate like structure adorned in skeletons and demons approximately five stories in height to emerge from the ground "this is one of my artifacts, the Yomi Gates…" he focused his gaze on the Fifth Squad's Captain "…earlier you asked how I knew so much about you…the simple truth of the matter is unlike the other members of my family I keep regular tabs on the World of the Living and the Soul Society. Not only because it allowed me to know more about our potential adversaries but because of the abilities of my Yomi Gates…"

"Get to the point before I tear out your throat!" Alexander threatened.

"…Very well…" Susanoo continued "…my Yomi Gates allows me to pull a single soul out of Hell to serve me every hundred years, about seventy years ago I was planning to use it on a certain German Dictator you sent there personally" he let out a slight chuckle "but about twenty years later your daughter sent a more amusing candidate into the flames, and when I saw how powerful you were becoming I figured he would the best choice…"

"You bastard!" Alexander hissed.

"I see that fiery hatred of yours hasn't faded even after more than a hundred years" the black clad figure chuckled darkly "after all this time you're still my fury…my Wrath!"

"Shut your damn mouth" Alexander hissed as he drew his swords "you and I are the epitome of sin, the mere sight of you fills me with disgust…" he took his stance prepared to attack the man "…from one murderer to another, I swear I'm going to send you back to Hell where you belong!"

"Well said…my son" Maximilian stated in approval.

"Well then" Susanoo chuckled as he pulled out a small jar which appeared to be covered in screaming faces "let's make this even more entertaining!" a large wave of black energy seemed to engulf the three men after he popped open the cap.

**Author's Notes:** And that's chapter 29 boys and girls sorry I haven't updated in so long, I had the school schedule from hell this semester from in terms of work load but it's summer now and I hope to finish this fic before it's over. The way I see there's probably three or four chapters left at most. Anyway here are some notes to hopefully provide some clarity. Anyway if you have any questions or you're just curious please read the following segment before reviewing

**Rukia's Bankai**: I hope to explain how she obtained Bankai in the next chapter (doing so now would involve too many spoilers) so please bear with me until then. Secondly the term Yuki-Onna which translates as "Snow Woman" refers to a female snow spirit which would often lure unsuspecting victims, usually men to a frigid death. In fact Sode No Shirayuki's appearance in the anime's zanpakutou rebellion arc was inspired by these spirits. With Rukia's Bankai I wanted to focus more on the snow aspect as opposed to the ice aspect like you get with her Shikai and most of Toushirou's attacks. Instead of trying to flash freeze the enemy or destroy them directly with ice based attacks; Rukia's Bankai works by subjecting her victim to a merciless blizzard, the cold temperature combined with the assault of the wind and snow against the target's skin causes them to lose body heat, eventually they start developing hypothermia and collapse. While it's not as good for flat out destruction as Toushirou's Bankai it's better for witling down a stronger opponent until you can finish them off.

As for the artifacts and enemies in this little arc, let me just say I am by no means an expert on Japanese mythology so take the following segments with a grain of salt. I will say this though, all the characters in the royal family are named after Japanese deities, and it's no coincidence that you often see their names as well as some of the artifacts in Japanese anime.

**Yasakani No Magatama-** One of three pieces of the Japanese imperial regalia used in the ascension ceremony. Once used in mythology to try and lure out a goddess who was hiding away in a cave I've yet to think of an instance where this particular piece was said to have any specific supernatural powers or properties. So in this instance I decided to give it the power to slow down time for everyone and everything except the wearer for a certain distance giving the wearer the illusion of god like speed; I also wish to tell you all that I got the idea for this one from the manga series "Fairy Tail" so for those of you who read the manga or watch the anime it's no coincidence if that fight made you think of Racer (for those who are unfamiliar with the series you should check it out because it kicks ass)

**Yata Mirror**- yet another piece of the Japanese imperial regalia the Yata mirror to my knowledge doesn't have any sort of mythological powers. But usually items named after it in anime or video games usually act as either a powerful ward against evil spirits and/or a special shield which can redirect attacks.

**Amenonuhoko**- as mentioned above it is a Naginata which is basically a long pole with a katana sword on one end. I wasn't able to really find anything regarding how you're supposed to fight with one so I decided to focus more on using its special abilities. What makes this particular naginata famous is that in Japanese Mythology it was said to have been used to create the first masses of land which formed when grains of salt fell from the tip of the blade; hence where I got the idea for giving it earth and water based abilities.

**Yomi Gates**- not exactly an artifact from actual Japanese mythology but rather one I made up on my own. In Japanese mythology Yomi is the name of the land of the dead, it's basically what Hades (the place not the god) is to Greek mythology. As Susanoo explained it basically gives him the power to pull one damned soul out of Hell to serve him for a hundred years and in a twisted form of irony his current servant is Alexander's father Maximilian; in other words prepare for some father son angst next chapter to put it mildly.

**The jar **- not going to tell you much about it because that would be too big a spoiler but I will give you a couple of hints. 1st of all it's not an artifact from Japanese mythology but rather Greek mythology. 2nd due to a translation mistake this artifact is more commonly represented as a different type of container in modern media. 3rd its story is meant to serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of curiosity.

Anyway I hope you all enjoyed the Chapter please have a good time and don't forget to leave a review.


	30. Catharsis

**Author's Notes: And then there were 30. Hard to believe It's gone on this long isn't boys and girls. Anyway I appreciate all the support and patience you've shown all this time, I know I'm not the fastest updater.**

**In any case this story will probably be done within another two or three updates. While you read please take some time to think about the story as a whole. What did you like most about it? What was your favorite chapter? Favorite scene? Favorite pairing after the Hitsumatsu? What's the biggest flaw BESIDES the over emphasis on OCs (I figured that one out a long time ago so there's no need to tell me any further; it's just that when I realized it I was already passed the point of no return on this story)?**

**I do not own Bleach, Devil May Cry, or the God of War series.**

**In any case please read, review, and enjoy**

**Ch. 30 Catharsis**

*Gettysburg Pennsylvania: July 4th 1863*

"This is just awful" gasped a fifteen year old girl with green eyes and black hair as they traversed a war torn field which was littered with the shredded remains of both union and confederate causalities, she had to pace herself just to avoid throwing up at the stench alone.

"It lasted for three days, Princess" her companion, a boy of about sixteen with blue eyes and matching black hair stated calmly "this war has introduced newer and deadlier weapons than anything man has seen thus far, combine that with out-dated tactics and the summer heat, and you get this…"

"It's no wonder seeing something like this caused that boy to awaken his darkness affinity" Dorothy replied "there's just no words to describe this carnage."

"With all due respect princess, I can think of one" the boy sighed.

"What would that be Maximilian?" Dorothy inquired.

"War" Maximilian answered calmly and coldly "human beings really are pathetic creatures don't you think?"

"That's pretty pessimistic of you" Dorothy stated.

"This war has been going on for two years now" Maximilian replied his face displaying no emotions "I've seen countless men strewn about battlefields all across the south and on the border slowly bleeding to death, limbs blown clean off" Dorothy seemed somewhat disturbed by his almost casual tone "the most unnerving part of it all for me has been the sounds of soldiers screaming in agony from the medical tents as doctors sawed off their limbs, only for a large number of them to die later anyway" he let out a weak chuckle.

"You find this funny?" Dorothy asked in disgust "what the hell is wrong with you?"

"My apologies, Princess" Maximilian responded "it's just after so long I can't help but wonder if this war is a punishment."

"For what?" Dorothy inquired causing Maximilian to let out a small chuckle which infuriated her "you sick bastard!"

"This country's sins" Maximilian began ignoring her latter statement "the South's clinging to slavery like barbarians while hiding behind such thin veils as 'State's Rights' and other pathetic talking points in an attempt to feed their egos, the North for thinking it can quickly force their will on others through sheer numbers and recourses alone, and of course both sides are guilty of hubris; thinking so highly of themselves while looking down on others when the truth is they're both sad, pathetic, and neither can survive without the other" he smirked slightly "the fact they seem so determined to destroy each other seems…poetic, especially today of all days."

"But now that Lee's army has been routed, it seems much more likely that the Union will win" Dorothy said through clenched teeth "if that happens then slavery will be brought to an end in this country, isn't that worth something?"

"Let me ask you something in turn Princess" Maximilian requested "do you remember how the North reacted after Lincoln announced that the North's goals in this war would now include ending slavery?" Dorothy clenched her fist at his question "the riots in Manhattan, Boston, Washington…the wanton murdering of escaped slaves and known abolitionists" he shot the princess a much more critical look "even if the North does win and slavery is brought to an end, I highly doubt anything will change that much."

"I really want to hit you right now" Dorothy stated "isn't any form of progress worth something, even if it's only a small step?"

"Only if it's progress in more than just name alone" Maximilian replied bluntly "regardless if this war ends in victory for Davis or Lincoln I doubt any **real** progress will come of it, they're both far too weak, Lincoln especially is far too soft to achieve anything of merit" he clenched his fist tightly "but what more can you expect from someone who was **elected**?"

The sound of bare knuckles crashing into the young man's cheeks reverberated throughout the historic battlefield. Though the sound was merely a small echo in comparison to the roar of muskets and canon fire, which dyed the grounds red with blood in the days that had preceded. However the emotion and the passion behind it would have its own ripples on the future, even if the number of people who would ever know of it could be counted on with one hand.

"You disappoint me Maximilian" Dorothy stated through gritted teeth as she looked down upon the boy who was nursing a broken nose, her own face was covered in the black tribal markings of their clan.

*Present Day*

Maximilian stood before the boy he had fathered with Dorothy over a hundred years ago dressed in a simple black cloak. His eyes focused upon his son as his pupils turned dark red and his irises took on a slit shape.

"_So you're planning to use __**that**__ are you Susanoo?"_ Maximilian thought to himself as powerful dark energy began to erupt from the jar that the prince was holding.

"Before I kill you for good, answer me one thing Maximilian Dark-Heart" Alexander demanded drawing his attention, when Elaina sent you to Hell you had already transformed into a large hollow, how did you regain a human form?"

"This may come as a surprise to you but Hell is very rough place" Maximilian began as he unbuttoned the top of his cloak "I don't know how long it took exactly…" he opened up his cloak at the top before turning around to show him his back "…but eventually the tortures I endured down there caused my mask to break, which caused me to regain a more human form and my ability to think logically, as well as some new powers…" Alexander's eyes opened in slight shock as he saw what looked like the base of a pair of large wings over his father's now exposed shoulders "…I believe the term the Soul Society has for creatures like me is Arrancar" out of the corner of his eye Alexander made out the form of a katana sword sheathed just above his father's left hip.

Maximilian's eyes opened in shock as his son suddenly vanished and appeared right in front of his exposed back and shoved his black katana towards his spine. At the last moment Maximilian vanished in a surge of black energy causing his son's sword to hit nothing but air as he reappeared about ten feet away.

"Damn, I was hoping to finish this quickly" Alexander swore as he stood up and took his position, little did he realize that the white of his eyes had turned black as obsidian, suddenly his nostrils were assaulted by a heavenly smell, his eyes darted to the side where he saw several long tables filled with enough food to feed a small country _"where the hell did those come from?"_ he asked himself, but as soon as he finished the thought the image faded away leaving nothing but the rocky mountain top, he looked down to his feet he saw the black energy which had shot out from Susanoo's artifact _"what's the deal with this black energy?"_ he moved his feet searching for any signs of resistance but found none _"it isn't effecting my movements or the flow of my spiritual pressure, and it's obviously not a direct attack…"_

"_So he's noticed"_ Maximilian thought to himself.

"_Is it meant to affect my mind?"_ the Captain of Squad Five pondered.

"Such a ruthless attack" Maximilian stated with a smug tone of voice "wasn't killing me with that sword over a hundred years ago enough?" he gestured towards the sealed Kokuhyou.

"Wasn't much of a kill considering the fact you still had enough life in you to kill us both with a kamikaze attack!" Alexander spat "don't worry though, I won't make the same mistake again!" his eyes drifted to the black haired prince who was simply standing still holding the jar which seemed to be emitting the black energy "first things first!" he raised his left hand pointing his knuckles towards Susanoo "Warlock Art: Shadow Spear!" a blast of black energy shot out from Alexander's left hand towards the royal prince.

Much to Alexander's surprise, Susanoo didn't move; instead he simply grinned as Maximilian appeared in front of him and split Alexander's attack down the middle with a single vertical swing of his sword.

"Sorry, son" Maximilian replied coldly "but if you want him, you'll have to go through me first."

"Don't call me 'son', I have no father!" Alexander hissed as his blood red eyes looked into Maximilian's matching orbs through his jet black bangs "now show me what you've got!"

"_This isn't good"_ Maximilian thought to himself before leaping towards his son and swing down on his sword with both hands.

"_So the first one didn't work? Oh well…"_ Susanoo thought as he watched the father and son clash _"…no one can pass all the trials of my Pandora's Jar, sooner or later you will fall my fellow Prince."_

*Shinigami's temporary base camp*

"Tou…Head Captain, the third beam's been destroyed" Rangiku stated as only one beam of energy remained in the skies above the palace.

"That just leave's Master's" Toushirou replied calmly as he raised his hand to his chin in contemplation.

"Captain Dark-Heart, are you alright?" Shuhei asked as Elaina let out a small scream of pain "I'll get one of the medics for you."

"Don't bother" Elaina said through gritted teeth as she tried to heal her right arm from all the damage it sustained during her last fight "did you that mess Captain Kuchki's face was in?" Shuhei stuttered for a moment "he'll need to be treated fast or his perfect face is liable to be scarred permanently, can't do that to poor Youmei now can I?"

"You shouldn't be joking about something like that Captain Dark-Heart" Hanatarou Yamada stated calmly as he approached her "Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Koutestu are taking care of Captain Kuchki, someone needs to help with your arm or you may suffer permanent damage from some of those larger lacerations" without asking for permission he brushed Shuhei aside and began to work on treating Elaina's arm.

"Acting like that in front of a Captain and a Lieutenant huh?" Elaina inquired "I must admit I like your guts" she let out a small sigh of relief as she felt some of the pain in her right arm begin to fade _"what he saw in the war against Aizen must have really traumatized him, he's nothing like the meek kid I remember…"_

"So what do you think?" Shinji inquired as he walked up towards Toushirou "think he'll pull it off? I sense some very strange energy coming from the fourth area."

Toushirou was about to give his response when he sensed a couple familiar presences approaching, he immediately drew his sword and signaled for the other able bodied warriors to do the same. Not because of who he sensed, for they were people whom he trusted and had the upmost faith in; even though one of them had a habit of annoying with his lack of propriety. The reason he and his soldiers drew their weapons was because of who they **didn't** sense, someone who was important to many of them but they were unable to detect even the slightest.

"We've returned…Head Captain…" Rukia stated weakly as she and Ichigo appeared, she was holding Inari's naginata which was stained with blood, but she wasn't what drew their attention.

What caught the attention of the Captains, Lieutenants, Vaizards, and former Ryouka was the sight of the substitute shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki appearing before them carrying the lifeless form of Jyuushiro Ukitake on his back.

"Jy…Jyuushiro" Shunsui gasped in disbelief as he ran up to the young couple as the spiky haired teen gently laid him on the ground, Retsu appeared next to him immediately and placed her fingers over his neck before closing her eyes half way and shaking her head as she fought back tears "what…what the hell happened?"

"It's all my fault…" Rukia began in despair as tears began to fall from her face.

"Captain Ukitake…" Elaina said weakly at the sight of the kind, gentle man who had been her mentor and leader for numerous decades lying motionless on the ground.

"…if only I…hadn't hesitated…I could have…I could have saved him!" Rukia continued as she fell to her knees only for Ichigo to gently grab her shoulders.

"Ichigo what happened?" Toushirou demanded calmly but firmly.

"The prince and his naginata's special abilities knocked us off balance" Ichigo explained, though not to the same extreme as Rukia's, his tone was very heavy "Captain Ukitake was able to fight in spite of it; he even got the bastard on his knees, but then his illness kicked in at the last second…" he was unable to continue but those around him were able to guess.

A heavy silence fell upon the group which was only broken by a sadistically gleeful voice "how extraordinary" the gathered warriors turned to see Mayuri Kurotsuchi examing Inari's Amenonuhoko in his hands "I must thank you for bringing this to me" he immediately made his way over to a small area he had roped off where Tsukuyomi's Yasakani no Magatama and the two halves of Amaterasu's Yata Mirror "hopefully Dark-Heart will also be able to return with whatever artifacts this last prince has intact" he shot Elaina a dirty glare "hopefully he won't be so reckless and foolhardy that he destroys my research specimen like his daughter."

The entire crowd looked at the Captain of Squad Twelve with looks which radiated pure hatred, even the overly stern Byakuya and Soi Fon glared at him in contempt. Those who had known Jyushiro for a long time and those who had served under him at some point or another were particularly tempted to commit acts of terrible violence against the mad scientist.

"Elaina, if you can do it without slowing down the medical treatment to your right arm, I'd like you to…" Toushirou began.

"Consider it done" Elaina cut him off as her eyes turned blood red and her irises turned into slits while black marks covered her flesh, without wasting any time she raised her left hand and pointed her palm towards Mayuri's little collection of royal artifacts.

Mayuri's eyes opened in shock horror as the ground surrounding them immediately turned black before his precious treasures all vanished within the abyss leaving not a trace of their existence for him to study "how dare you!" he hissed as he began to march towards the Captain of Squad Nine but was stopped when the new Head Captain appeared in between them.

"Stand down and shut up Kurotsuchi" Toushirou ordered with a cold and malicious tone of voice, Mayuri was about to object but decided it was best not to push his luck with the Head Captain and complied, albeit begrudgingly _"Soi Fon's still exhausted from using her Bankai…"_ Toushirou nodded as he turned his gaze towards the panting Captain of Squad Two _"…Byakuya, Youmei, and Elaina are too injured and drained from their fights…"_ he continued as he looked over his first two assault teams _"…and Shunsui's just lost his best friend…"_

"I…can't believe he's dead…" Hiyori stated in disbelief and Shinji merely nodded in agreement

"What are we going to do?" Rangiku asked Toushirou softly but in a heavily concerned tone of voice.

"Today, one of the greatest heroes in the history of the Soul Society has fallen…" Toushirou began, his voice shaken but strong none the less "…even if it meant having to stand up to someone who he knew he had little chance of beating, he always followed the path he truly believed to be just…" he clenched his fist tightly as he remembered the white haired man's smile and his kind guidance from his own days in Squad Thirteen "…however…" he continued his voice now much steadier and more resolute "…now is not the time to grieve, we have our objectives and we have a mission…" he looked out upon his friends, subordinates, brothers and sisters in arms "…it now falls to us, the living to ensure that on this day, Jyuushiro Ukitake, the beloved Captain of Squad Thirteen, did NOT die in vain!"

The soldiers gathered said nothing as many of them nodded in understanding. The ones who were closer to Jyushiro such as Shunsui, Elaina, and Rukia clenched their fists as they forced themselves not to cry with limited success.

"_He's pretty good with maintaining troop morale"_ Isshin thought to himself _"judging by their reactions when they realized he was dead, this Captain Ukitake must have been in his position for a long time and have been very well liked…losing someone like that can often have traumatic effect on a unit's morale which usually translates to failure and annihilation…" _he turned his gaze towards Toushirou _"…I see this boy wasn't chosen to be Head Captain for nothing…"_

"We'll leave that last crystal's destruction to Captain Dark-Heart" Toushirou explained calmly "In the meantime I'm going to lead a strike team towards the palace" his gaze drifted towards the raven haired medic leaning over Byakuya "Captain Unohana I'm leaving you in charge here."

"Understood…" Retsu replied in understanding "…however, I'd like to keep at least one Captain who isn't injured in case we're attacked."

"Sounds like something I'd be good for" an amused voice cackled as Youmei stood up from Byakuya's side, her sheathe and sword now a deep shade of red which matched her hair "Princess managed to get through her little tussle without messing up our body too bad, besides I think you'd like to only take fresh people with you, am I right?"

"Fine, but remember that Captain Unohana's in charge" Toushirou stated "and you're only allowed to go after the enemy!"

"Oh please Head Captain give me some credit" Youmei began as she shrugged her shoulders at his warning "I may be crazy enough to bad mouth the Captains, my other self, you…" she wrapped her left arm around the silver haired man's neck "...our predecessor, that is before I turned him into a pincushion…" Rangiku scowled at her remarks concerning Gin "…but I'm nowhere **near** stupid enough to mess with Retsu Unohana" she released the Head Captain from her head lock.

"_Head Captain, Rangiku, I'm so sorry for her behavior"_ Princess thought from within their mind.

"Rangiku, you're with me" Toushirou commanded causing her to nod "I also want Shinji and Hiyori to come along…"

"I don't take orders from you!" Hiyori hissed only to be silenced by Shinji pressing down on her head.

"Shut up Hiyori" Shinji said dully "this works out best for our purposes anyway, best chance we'll be able to find her" before anyone could ask who he met Hiyori grabbed his wrist, pulled him down so hard his chin crashed into the ground before slamming the ball of her foot into the top of his skull creating a small crater.

"_Such a violent child"_ Elaina thought to herself.

"Idiots" Toushirou sighed in annoyance "Captain Kyouraku…" he continued causing the Captain of Squad Eight to nod.

"We'll get you home, I promise" Shunsui said to his fallen friend as he walked up to his new commander.

"Isshin Kurosaki, you know this place and our enemy the best" Toushirou stated confidently "I want you to guide us" the former Captain nodded "the rest of you are to wait here, if their numbers get to be too much, retreat behind the gate and use it to funnel them" his eyes drifted back to Jyushiro's body "and just to reiterate, you're not allowed to die!"

"Why aren't you taking me?" Mayuri asked curiously with Nemu standing at his side "I haven't fought yet."

"Because you're an untrustworthy sadist" Toushirou stated bluntly causing Mayuri to scowl "personally my biggest concern is leaving you unsupervised."

"You needn't worry" Uryuu assured him "I'll be **happy **to watch him for you" his tone indicated that he would much rather murder the doctor than anything else _"I haven't forgotten, Mayuri Kurotsuchi"_ unbeknownst to him the man's daughter looked at him, her expression a combination of sadness and fear hidden just beneath the surface.

"_Why do I get the feeling I may decide to have __**another**__ vacancy in the Captain seats once I'm done digging into the Department of Research and Development's files?"_ Toushirou wondered as he observed the Quincy's body language.

"Hey Toushirou" Ichigo called out earning him the young man's attention.

"That's Head Captain Hitsugaya to you" Toushirou replied trying to be gentle given what the teenager had likely witnessed recently but at the same time wanting to command respect "what is it?"

"I'm coming with you" Ichigo answered causing Toushirou to focus his gaze on him even further "even if you say 'no' I'll just follow after you anyway."

"Fine, but I don't want any crazy stunts out of you, I'm not going to be as strict on you as Head Captain Yamamoto was; so I expect some level of cooperation out of you in return" Toushirou explained.

"Got it" Ichigo replied as he turned his gaze back to Rukia before letting it drift towards the green haired former Espada "Nell can you please look after Rukia for me?"

"Of course" Nell answered as she walked over to Rukia.

"I'll be fine" Rukia replied but her voice was still shaky.

"If there are no questions, we need to move out" Toushirou commanded.

"I have one" Isshin stated "are you sure that guy you sent to the Northwest will be alright? That's where Susanoo operates, he's by far the most dangerous of Izanagi's children, he won't go down easily."

"It'll be fine" Toushirou replied coolly "after all I sent the man who taught me everything I know…" with that the team of six started their run towards the palace.

"_Please, Alex…"_ Retsu thought as she finished healing Byakuya's face "…don't_ lose…"_

*With Alexander, Maximilian, and Susanoo*

"_So the sin of Gluttony is the weakest in him"_ Susanoo thought as he observed the match between Warlocks _"judging by his appearance he's not big on consuming like a pig; wonder what the second sin will be?"_

After deflecting a rather sloppy vertical swing from Maximilian using his still sealed Nehan, Alexander countered with a horizontal swing from Kokuhyou forcing the older Warlock to leap back to avoid a fatal blow, however the attack itself was so close that it literally trimmed the tips of his bangs clean off.

"_His fighting style…"_ Alexander thought as he recalled his movements from their last encounter, more specifically his weapon _"…in life he fought with a battle axe, he doesn't have the experience in wielding a sword to be effective, even if his body is much stronger now than it was then"_ once again he failed to notice when his pupils turned a dark shade of gold as his father held his sword in front of his body with both hands in a defensive stance.

Alexander tightened his grip with his left hand before leaping towards Maximilian and swinging his arm to the side. The sound of screeching metal filled the air as Nehan's blade struck Maximilian's sword, before the former chief of the Warlock Clan realized what his rebellious son was up to his sword buckled slightly as his blade made contact with Alexander's guard. Maximilian's eyes opened in shock as his sword was forced to the side, his heart skipped a beat when he saw his son use the opening to thrust the tip of his Kokuhyou sword straight towards his face.

The Captain of Squad Five's focus was solely on his father as the nanoseconds passed which should have ended the battle between them in his favor, however at the last possible moment he heard a loud clanging sound which overrode his reason and caused him to look to his side at a literal mountain of gold and precious stones big enough to run a small country.

"_Just in the nick of time"_ Maximilian thought as he dove to the side to avoid being run through the face.

"_So Greed is his second sin?"_ Susanoo noted _"stronger than his Gluttony obviously, but I don't think it'll break him just yet."_

"_The last one only lasted a couple moments…"_ Alexander thought to himself as the gold finally began to disappear _"…and this one lasted about fifteen seconds…"_ he flipped the sealed Nehan in his left hand _"…clearly this artifact is messing with my head and it's only getting worse, I need to end this fast!"_

"Come on now is that really like you?" a young man's voice asked which startled the Captain immensely as he was identical to him when he was about thirteen years old "I mean you did drag your ass for about four years before you finally did anything about Maximilian over there when it was clear that he was off his rocker" he let out a loud yawn "and how many decades did it take you before actually applied for a Captain's position?" he smiled evilly as he stepped towards his older self and patted him on the shoulder "face it old timer, you've been lazily dragging your ass your entire life…and afterlife…"

"_Sloth, now we're getting somewhere" _Susanoo chuckled.

"I must admit, you've grown quite strong" Maximilian stated calmly as he regained his composure "I'm curious, in shinigami terms how strong do you think we we're the last time we fought compared to right now?"

"The day we died, I'd estimate that our powers were approximately at the level of a typical fourth or fifth seat" Alexander answered as he too tried to regain his calm, little did he know a black horn like appendage appeared over his right temple "if you know anything about this haori than you should be able to guess what rank I've achieved."

"You're a Captain now I assume" Maximilian replied and his son nodded "you've come quite far, but then again…" his spiritual pleasure began to rise sharply "…so have I!"

"Darkness, spread across the universe and consume all evil!" Alexander chanted as his spiritual pressure exploded with so much force that Susanoo stumbled a bit from the force "Light, dash across creation and obliterate the wicked!"

"Condemn…" Maximilian commanded "El Demonio!" he was engulfed in a mass of black energy momentarily, when it vanished Maximilian's body had changed to the form of a demonic gargoyle with dark golden scales, his thick legs had the diameter of a human head, the scales which covered his spine had him hunched over slightly, his arms were now more streamlined and each of his fingers looked like a dagger, and on his back he now sported a pair of thick bat like wings _"let's see what you've got boy!"_

"Kokuhyou, Nehan!" Alexander cried causing the two katana to transform into a pair of western long swords "I call upon the divine light of the heavens, join upon my blade and release thy fury…Meimeikanshiki!" a blast of pure white energy erupted from the tips of Nehan's blade towards Maximilian.

With a single flap of his wings Maximilian soared into the air and dodged the blast from his son's attack. With a second flap he raced towards him with his right hand extended. The Captain quickly swung Nehan horizontally forcing Maximilian to grab hold of Nehan's blade with his right hand to avoid having his chest slashed open. Not one to waist an opportunity to counter, Alexander thrust Kokuhyou forward trying to at least land a nick on his father's torso.

"_That sword!"_ Maximilian thought as his demonic eyes showed him an incredibly violent and vicious energy radiating from the blade, not wanting to find out what it was he dug his feet into his son's chest to push himself away and dodge the attack _"whatever's up with it I cannot afford to let that sword cut me!"_

"_Damn, his demonic eyes must have alerted him to the danger of getting cut by Kokuhyou…normally whenever I fight someone for the first time with my shikai I'm able to use it to take my enemy by surprise…"_ Alexander deduced _"…no matter…"_ he tightened his grip on both his swords before leaping towards Maximilian _"…all that matters is that he dies here!"_

"So tell me something my son" Maximilian demanded as he parried Nehan and sidestepped to avoid being struck by Kokuhyou "do you regret your choice to rebel against me that night?"

"Shut your mouth!" Alexander ordered as he bent back to avoid a horizontal swipe of Maximilian's right hand "you're nothing but a monster who sought to conquer the world to feed his own ego!"

"If you hadn't turned on me boy, then the world would finally have rid itself of war!" Maximilian cried angrily at his son as Nehan's blade nicked his right arm while he gave his son a shallow cut on his left cheek.

"_My plan is to destroy the world as we know it and then to rebuild it in my image!"_ Maximilian's voice echoed in Alexander's memories from that fateful night.

"No!" Alexander hissed in disgust "you were nothing more than a wannabe tyrant with a God complex!"

"Were you any better?" the voice of Alexander's younger self inquired, thankfully his older self managed to stay focused on the battle, that said his question cut deeper than any blade could ever hope to.

"And so we've made it to Vanity" Susanoo chuckled as he sensed the Captain's latest sin emerge.

"After all you shared similar beliefs did you not" the younger Alexander prodded with an accusing tone of voice "you thought yourself better than other humans, you thought you were more fit to govern the balance than the shinigami, and you thought you had some sort of divine right to rule" he stood only a couple feet away from the clashing relatives "you even embraced the idea that it was alright for you to kill innocent bystanders for your cause" he let out a disturbing chuckle "but the truth is you were just as violent and just as blood thirsty as the rest of humanity, if not even more so…" the two warlocks parted after a flurry of clashes "…at least your father is willing to embrace his ugliness, if anything I'd have to say that **your** hubris is the worst of the two!"

"_Shut up!" _Alexander thought in frustration.

"I only speak the truth **captain**" the younger Alexander stated with a mocking tone particularly when using the word 'captain' the older Alexander shot him a furious glare "how's that saying go again? Wasn't it 'the truth will set you free'?" he let out a very disturbing laugh.

"How dare you!" Maximilian replied visibly furious as he took a step towards his son "do you have any idea what I went through? How much I sacrificed? How much I willingly gave up, all so I could make our clan's ideals a reality?"

*March 4th 1865 Washington D.C.*

Thousands of people gathered stood on the grounds of the newly completed Capitol building, it's new dome a testament to the cold unrelenting determination of the nation it would serve as a symbol for generations to come. The ground itself was thick and muddy due to weeks of rain in the area, even as they gathered Mother Nature continued to gently assault them with the rain. For the many men and women gathered in their nation's capital the rain seemed to symbolize the despair and the somber effects those four years of civil war had taken upon them. But in spite of their self reflection and their sadness, the people felt compelled to come for this single event.

The entire crowd of men and women had gathered there for a single purpose, and that purpose was to listen to a single man. He was a tall man of approximately six feet; he wore the finest black suits, befitting a man who had been a lawyer by trade before going into politics. And though he was only fifty six years old at the time, the tragedies which had struck both his family at home and his nation as a whole had aged him to the point that some in the audience thought he looked just about ready to literally age into dust. Likewise his expression was one of extreme grief and somber despite what in better times should have been a jubilant occasion for him.

"The tide's really turned, it would seem the confederacy is nearing collapse" Dorothy said in jubilant, yet somber tone.

"Indeed, the total war strategy that Sherman's waging is not only economically and militarily devastating, but it's really bringing the war home for the South" Maximilian replied "this will likely demoralize their military; there can be no doubt, the Confederacy is doomed."

"And it looks like slavery will be abolished finally" Dorothy added "that's wonderful isn't it?"

"At the very least…" Maximilian began as he recalled what had happened in Gettysburg nearly two years prior "…it's a step in the right direction" Dorothy smiled softly as the man approached the podium _"please don't disappoint me Lincoln."_

"Fellow Countrymen" Lincoln began his voice surprisingly shrill and squeaky in spite of his appearance which suggested that he had a deep and commanding voice "at this second appearing to take the oath of the Presidential office officer there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first" the audience listened in rapt attention as he delivered his address.

Lincoln used the podium to remind the gathered citizens of what factors had lead up to the secession of the Southern States and the subsequent war which had been a plague on both sides of the Mason-Dixon and the irrefutable role slavery had as the catalyst for both. Throughout the entire address he denounced any sort of sense of triumphalism as the war had clearly been a curse upon both North and South. Numerous times he made references to scriptures as a means of comfort, an assurance to those who lost loved ones that behind all the suffering and death that had befallen their county, the wise and just hand of God was guiding them towards a higher divine purpose. But most astonishingly of all Lincoln called not for violence and punishment towards the South for their betrayal, but for the beginning of a time for healing the grave wounds the war had left and reconciliation with their brothers; what Lincoln called for was not hatred and revenge, but a wish for peace and healing.

"…With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right…" Lincoln continued eloquently "…let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations" a brief silence overtook the crowd before a gentle applause rang out amongst them, none of them realizing just how significant an event they had just witnessed.

"He really is a good speaker" Dorothy stated with a sober yet gentle smile on her face.

"It's a pity that pretty words alone aren't enough to bring peace" Maximilian sighed.

"Who says they have to?" Dorothy asked in response "you said it yourself, the Confederacy is all but doomed, and the War will be over soon."

"Will it truly?" Maximilian countered causing the Princess of the Warlock clan to raise an eyebrow "it takes more than a simple treaty to truly end a war princess, it requires that one or both sides completely loses the will to fight from the soldiers down to the civilians; what I fear is that the war won't end so much as be put on pause."

"What makes you think that?" Dorothy asked "from what I hear Grant is getting closer and closer to finally cornering Lee, if fact we have a few of our own people sabotaging his camps to make it easier for Union forces; he may be a Confederate General but he's no madman, he won't keep fighting when he knows he's beaten."

"I'm not worried about Lee" Maximilian stated calmly "the problem is the people of the South; they're a very stubborn and proud lot" he gripped his fist tightly in frustration "I fear that this reconciliation that Lincoln's calls for won't get them to give up their dreams of having their own separate country; and so long as they have that, I believe the South will continue to be a cesspool of ignorance, intolerance, and strife for years, decades, perhaps even centuries to come."

"Alright then, if you're so smart, then tell me something" Dorothy demanded "what would you do if you were in Lincoln's shoes? If not reconciliation, then what would be your answer, revenge?"

"No, not revenge, punishment" Maximilian answered "The first thing I would do is order the army to take up General Sherman's total war strategy; I wouldn't tell them to stop until every town and city in the South has been demolished, I would not relent until I had left absolutely no doubt who had won the war and that no one in the South would ever be able to even think of words like 'Secession', 'Rebel', and 'Confederacy' without a feeling of immense dread and despair filling their very souls!"

"And what's the second?" Dorothy inquired.

"Once the civilian population was sedated I'd begin the process of rebuilding the South" Maximilian began "at the same time I'd round up every single governor, senator, and representative on both the State and Federal level who supported secession, in addition to anyone who willingly served in the Confederate army or government and execute them all for treason; starting with Davis and Lee."

"That's harsh, I dare say even brutal" Dorothy stated calmly.

"Crimes must be meant with punishment" Maximilian explained calmly "whatever their motivations or intentions, their choices lead to this plague and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people; such things must never be forgotten, nor can they ever be forgiven" he let out a heavy sigh of contemplation.

"What about freedom?" Dorothy asked "in the kind of harsh, uncompromising world that you imagine wouldn't we all effectively be living under a dictatorship?"

"The problem with ideas like 'democracy' and 'freedom' that Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and others from the revolution preached is that they failed to account for one thing" Maximilian began with a heavy tone of voice "freedom equals chaos and madness" he looked out upon the crowd "the only way a democracy can even theoretically work is if the people as a whole are both wise and good intentioned" he turned his gaze downward "the problem is that the vast majority of human beings are far too ignorant, far too small minded, and far too petty for such a system to secure peace…it's just…far too much to ask of them…"

"You know I think I finally understand you now" Dorothy stated softly.

"Beg your pardon?" Maximilian inquired.

"The truth of the matter is that you really love this country and its people don't you?" Dorothy half stated half asked which surprised the older boy "that's why you're so frustrated and saddened by it all right?" out of the corner of her eye she could see rays of sunlight shining upon the podium where Lincoln spoke "with today's America, the America which held onto slavery for so long, and the America which couldn't bring it to an end without a bloody civil war. But more than anything you're scared aren't you?" she looked him right in the eyes as she took a step towards him "you're scared that if the people don't learn the lessons of this tragedy, they'll be forced to relearn them through an even bloodier lesson" she gently placed her hand over his shoulder "and if I had to guess you feel the same way about humanity and the world at large."

"Your ancestral mother Morgan Dark-Heart founded our clan in the hopes to purge the world of war, because she didn't want humanity to have to suffer from the senseless destruction, hatred, and death it entails" Maximilian sighed "as a man born into that same clan, how can I pursue the same dream if I didn't care?"

"I must admit, you are an incredible man" Dorothy chuckled lightly "you're incredibly messed up, but that's alright, you're human after all as we all are."

"Respectfully I must say you're a strange one princess" Maximilian stated "for the life of me I can't understand you…" Dorothy raised an eyebrow "…you witnessed the same war that I did, you heard the sounds of men screaming in agony as they bled to death, you've walked the fields where the smell of rotting flesh poisoned the air…so how?" he looked at her with an expression of the upmost confusion "how can you still be so cheerful? So optimistic? How…how can you still be so strong?"

"You may be incredible but you're also an idiot" Dorothy replied gently in amusement as she pulled the boy in for a hug which shocked him "what I believe in gives me strength?"

"You believe in God?" Maximilian inquired.

"I do but that's not what I'm talking about" Dorothy answered "no, what I'm talking about is a concept much simpler than a deity, at the same time it's even more profound" she loosened her grip so that she could look him straight in the eyes "it's something that all humans carry within them, those who embrace find the strength to turn fear into courage, to keep pushing forward no matter how dire things may be" he followed her eyes to Lincoln's podium "for all his imperfections, I believe that Lincoln knows it as well, otherwise he would have sunk into depression after all the children he's lost and the number of citizens who've died thus far."

"What is it?" Maximilian asked causing the Princess to turn her gaze back to him before uttering a single word which made Maximilian's eyes pop open in shock; the word itself was simple, only four letters long in English, and though he was too cynical to admit it at the time, it's also one of, if not the most beautiful words ever conceived by people "I've found that hard to find these past four years."

"Dummy, weren't you listening?" Dorothy replied "I said it's something all humans have, you just have to find it in yourself."

"I doubt that'll happen" Maximilian stated.

"I pray for your sake you're wrong" Dorothy said in a much heavier tone of voice "those who can't find this in themselves always go mad and turn to their lowest instincts, especially if they get their hands on any sort of power" Dorothy released her hold on him before pointing her right index finger at him "I like you Maximilian, but if you ever become like that I swear I'll stop you myself, regardless of your reasons!"

Maximilian stood before the princess of his clan in shocked silence for several moments before he did something which he hadn't done in nearly half a decade, he smiled; not in a sad way, but in a way which was genuinely happy "Princess, you're magnificent" what happened next shocked both warlocks and would likely have caused a panic if not for the rain hood which obscured most of the boy's head from view, without his intention Maximilian's marks appeared across his face forming intricate designs on his face, but what surprised them were his eyes; they had turned from blue to red and his irises were now shaped like slits, Dorothy's words caused the young Warlock to awaken a piece of the great potential that lay dormant within himself and all Warlocks.

"Maximilian, your eyes" Dorothy stated in pure shock.

"Incredible" was all Maximilian could say in response to having awakened the demonic eyes, the feeling of insight combined with a new sense of courage caused him to grip his fist tightly in resolve as he said "I don't know if I can believe all that you said, but I can promise you something Princess" he closed his eyes momentarily allowing them to turn back to normal "I'm going to change everything; our clan, our country, and our world so that our peoples' dream can finally become a reality" Dorothy smirked in approval "for our clan, our people, and for you, I swear it."

Dorothy blushed slightly at his comment before replying with "don't get too full of yourself idiot" Maximilian proceeded to laugh gently causing the Princess to smile in response.

*Present Day*

Maximilian leapt towards Alexander and unleashed a flurry of swipes "I devoted my **life** to the cause of bringing peace and order to the world!" he cried as his son parried his strikes "months, years, decades, I gave them **all** up so as to finally make the dream of the Warlock Clan a reality!"

"Shut you God damned mouth!" Alexander swore before chanting "Protect Nehan!" a barrier appeared between father and son causing the former to stagger back momentarily as his son held his swords out in an X shaped position before following up with "Hadou 88: Hiryugekizokushintenraiho!" a huge blast of energy shot out from his swords as Nehan's barrier faded, at the last moment Maximilian flapped his wings to avoid taking a direct hit but his right leg received a severe burn.

"_Too think he could pull off an eighties level hadou without the incantation"_ Susanoo thought in delight _"it'll be very satisfying to watch him fall!"_

"I call upon the darkest shadows of Hell…gather before me and strike my enemies, Kurohari!" Alexander chanted as he stabbed the ground with Kokuhyou causing dozens of shadows to leap up from the ground in an attempt to skewer him "you haven't changed a bit from when we were alive!" Maximilian flapped his wings to gain some altitude to avoid being struck by the shadows "after more than a hundred years you're still hiding your **arrogance** and your **greed** behind cunning words" he vanished in a rush of black energy before appearing above his father and swinging down repeatedly with both swords trying to cut his flesh "the fact you're trying to sell yourself as victim to me is **beyond** a disgrace!"

"YOU JUST DON'T GET IT, DO YOU BOY?" Maximilian yelled as he opened his mouth and fired a blood red cero which literally blew his son away causing him to crash into "so long as men maintain free will there will never be any peace!"

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?" Alexander yelled back "I TOLD YOU TO SHUT YOUR GOD DAMN MOUTH!" he leapt towards Maximilian again as the two traded blows.

"Come now haven't you thought about it **even **once since that day?" Maximilian demanded as sparks flashed "I may have spent the first six decades as a hollow, but even so I was still able to see what happened!" Alexander parried one of his attacks and prepared to deliver a blow with his dreaded Kokuhyou forcing Maximilian to teleport to safety at the last minute "most of Eurasia and North Africa was burnt to the ground, not once, but **twice** less than fifty years after our battle!"

"I know, I was there!" Alexander retorted as he sent a volley of shadow spears towards the former chief of their clan "I had a front row seat!"

"A pair of madmen caused the meaningless deaths of tens of millions of civilians" Maximilian continued as he dodged the attacks "and the United States and Russia spent about sixty years giving military aid to tyrants throughout the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia to gain a military advantage over the other as they dragged the world closer and closer to Armageddon!"

"And you expect me to believe that you would have prevented it all?" Alexander asked rhetorically as he fired off a volley of Shakkahou blasts towards Maximilian "don't make me laugh!"

"Think about if for just a **second** will you?" Maximilian demanded "when you take a good hard look at the World of the Living what do you see?" he fired another cero blasé negating his son's fireballs "Poverty, Disease, Intolerance, Oppression, Ignorance, Exploitation, Injustice, Constant War and Terrorism, and many other plagues!"

"I'm no fool!" Alexander retorted as he leapt forward and the two traded blows once again.

"Then surely you must have realized by now!" Maximilian hissed "all this chaos, all this misery that's befallen the world…it's **all** your fault!" the two locked attacks as each tried their hardest to overpower the other "if you and your mother hadn't **betrayed **me, **I** would have created a new world order, an order which would have **prevented** all of it!"

"So much time has passed since then and you **still **haven't figured anything out?" Alexander inquired with a tone of voice which was as angry as it was annoyed "YOU REALLY ARE PATHETIC!" he quickly kicked Maximilian in the chest forcing him to stumble back before performing a series of slashes which put the younger warlock on the offense "even **if** by some act of the devil you had succeeded in conquering the world, nothing would have changed!" he swung down with both swords creating a crater in the ground as his father grabbed them both "systems which grant absolute power to any one man or institution **always** create far more violence than they prevent!" his mind had flashbacks of what he had witnessed in Germany under Hitler, Italy under Mussolini, and the former Soviet Union under Stalin "for such a system to actually work it would require the guidance of an inhumanly wise and compassionate being, one who's purity could put them on par with God!" he swung around before delivering a horizontal slash across his father's chest courtesy of Nehan "such a being has yet to appear among humanity; a pair of murders like you and me certainly don't qualify."

Maximilian ignored the pain from his wound and instead used the opening created by his son's attack to return the favor via five smaller yet still painful cuts "even so it would still have been better than that blood bath you call the twentieth century!" his eyes opened suddenly in shock as his son quickly flicked his right wrist causing the blade of his black long sword to fall upon his still extended left arm, though the angle prevented him from cutting too deeply, a thin spray of blood shot out from where his skin met the blade.

Maximilian let out a loud blood curdling scream as every nerve in his body seemed to flare up in pain from the small cut on his forearm. Before he could collect himself his son unleashed a flurry of slashes with Kokuhyou, though none of them were very deep, each blow landed sent a fresh since of pain and misery coursing through his body.

"You don't understand" Alexander stated coldly as his father collapsed to his knees in front of him "even if you had taken over the world and used force to eliminate all conflicts, new conflicts would have been born because of it; for all the times you decried how the South held onto slavery, yet you planed to enslave the entire world!" his thoughts turned to his daughter and his apprentice "even children can see the heartless evil in that" his recalled the numerous protests which he had witnessed around the world throughout the century "the only way for humanity to **truly** advance is if they choose to do so on their own, that's why I turned on you so that the people would be free to make that choice."

"For a 'God of Death' you're surprisingly naïve" Maximilian chuckled "human beings are ruled by their desires, they cannot help themselves; they're so evil…and yet they don't even realize it…don't you see, our very **species** is cursed, humanity is predisposed towards evil!"

"No…we are who we choose to be, all of us" Alexander retorted as he raised Kokuhyou "the time eventually comes when every person must accept the consequences of their choices…" he looked his father in the eyes as another black horn materialized over his left temple "…I don't expect someone like you who's probably never learned to **love** anyone or anything to understand…"

"Now, now look who's talking…" a female voice called out causing him to freeze in place at the mere sound of it, Alexander's eyes glanced to his left side to see a nude woman about a head shorter than him with long white hair and white eyes holding onto his left arm.

"Es…Esther?" Alexander gasped in sheer disbelief as his first love looked up to him and grinned in a menacing manner.

"_Sin number five…Lust…"_ Susanoo thought in amusement as he observed the effects by gazing into his Pandora's Jar.

"…after all one who's only known primitive, carnal desires has no room to talk about something as pure as love" a nude Retsu said from his right as she wrapped her hands around his right wrists, like Esther she was wearing a disturbing smile on her face.

"You're wrong…" Alexander replied his limbs visibly shaking "…I loved you Esther…and you Retsu…"

"Is that so?" Esther chuckled darkly as she turned her gaze towards Retsu "did he ever tell you that he let me die less than a day after he impregnated me?"

"Yes he did in fact" Retsu replied her tone was dark and callous "what could you and I have ever seen in such a man?"

Their words hurt the Captain of Squad Five deeply, more so than any fist, blade, or spell ever could. The sheer effectiveness of their words was due in part to how cruel they were, but more than that it was due to who they were coming from and the fact that deep down in his heart, the raven haired shinigami agreed with every bit of what they were saying.

Seeing his son hesitate to deliver the killing blow gave Maximilian the two things he so desperately needed at the moment. The first was time for the pain of being cut by Kokuhyou in its released form so many times to fade, the second was an opening for a counter attack. Seizing his chance Maximilian slashed his son's chest vertically with his right hand causing a massive amount of blood to squirt out from his wound, out of sheer shock he dropped his swords causing them to fall to the ground with a loud clanging sound.

Without giving him the chance to recover Maximilian immediately followed up with a left round house kick which sent him flying into the air. Letting out a loud roar Maximilian flapped his wings and flew up towards his son and unleashed a flurry of punches sent shockwaves throughout his entire body.

"_Damn it!"_ Alexander swore as he continued to fall under Maximilian's ruthless assault, unaware of the thick black material which was forming over the right side of his jaw _"these are just illusions, nothing more!"_ he tightened his fists in anger as he prepared to fight back only to be caught by the sights of Elaina floating to his right and Toushirou to his left, both looking upon him with a look of contempt in their eyes.

"His sixth sin, Envy" Susanoo noted in delight "almost there" if anyone were actually listening to him they would have noted the sheer excitement in his voice.

"This situation truly suits you **teacher**" Toushirou mocked.

"_Go away, you're nothing but illusions!"_ Alexander thought in frustration _"illusions made by this black energy meant to confuse me and throw me off balance!"_ in spite of what his brain had already figured out long ago, his heart and soul still couldn't helped but be shaken by the phantoms thus far.

"Now you're just being stupid **father**" Elaina stated harshly "you've been running away from your own sins for so long you can't even acknowledge the ugly truths about your soul when they're being presented right in front of you!"

As Elaina spoke Maximilian continued to strike his body, though the physical pain was numbed out entirely by the psychological trauma he was experiencing. It was then that the image of Toushirou did something he had almost known his real self to do, and that was laugh audibly.

"I must say **teacher** you're a real piece of work" Toushirou chuckled in a very disturbing tone "you've been around for about a hundred and twenty years and your existence has just been one big screw up after the other!"

"You?" Elaina laughed hysterically "can you imagine having this fuck up as **father**? I must say it's nothing short of a miracle that the two of us weren't dragged all the way down with him!"

"Indeed" Toushirou replied in agreement "such a lowly pathetic man, I understand at least why he's so jealous of us."

"Is it hard?" Elaina asked in amusement "after all you and I haven't been around as long as he has yet we've had far more successes and far fewer failures than he has, both as shinigami and as **people**."

"_Indeed the two of you have…"_ Alexander admitted as he suddenly crashed into the ground, his kimono torn to shreds and his haori stained red by the blood from his numerous wounds; within moments Maximilian landed and pressed the bottom of his foot into his son's chest pressing down causing him to scream in pain _"…damn it all!"_

"_Is this really all you have?"_ Maximilian wondered as he looked upon the crumpled pitiful form of his son "I must say I thought you were much **stronger** than this" the last section of the black mask formed covering the left side of his jaw and thus hiding his entire face from view _"if you're going to live up to my expectations, now is the time to do it!"_

"There is a way out of this mess" another young Alexander called out from the side of his older self who simply looked at him hesitantly "give in to me, give in to your fury, your **wrath**!"

"Hard to believe we're at sin number seven already" Susanoo chuckled "and I thought the first six were impressive."

"Embrace the violence which exists in your heart and soul!" the younger Alexander commanded in an aggressive tone of voice as the sockets of his older self began to glow blood red as he began to let out a pained scream, the jaw of his mask opening with its counterpart just beneath the surface "do that and not only will you **win**! You'll finally be free of all your **pain**" Alexander dug into the ground with his fingers "GIVE IN TO YOUR **WRATH**!"

Maximilian raised his right foot before swinging it down in an axe kick which would have finished Alexander off had he not stopped it mid way by grabbing his foot with both hands causing a shockwave to shoot out from around them. Before Maximilian knew it he was fumbling backwards as his son threw his foot off him with one good shove, within moments the son wrapped the fingers of his left hand around his father's face and violently slammed him into the ground creating a large crater which dwarfed the one that had been made using his own body less than a minute earlier.

"EMBRACE YOUR HATRED!" the younger Alexander commanded "DESTROY EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE WHO DARES TO GET IN YOUR WAY!"

"_Amazing" _Susanoo thought in delight _"he's completely different now"_ he watched as Alexander swung his right arm down upon his father causing his claws to tear into the man's chest _"he has no fear…"_ he noticed that in spite of all his injuries his movements didn't seemed to be hampered in the slightest _"…he knows no pain"_ before Alexander could follow up his attack Maximilian disappeared in a surge of black energy.

Alexander quickly jerked his head around to see Maximilian flying in the skies above him nursing the wound on his chest in agony. The younger Warlock quickly extended his right hand as his scythe materialized. Maximilian quickly opened his mouth and fired a cero on his son's location only for Alexander to vanish in a surge of black energy just like he had earlier. The father quickly scanned the grounds around him trying to locate his son only to feel his heels dig into his back.

Maximilian could only turn his head to see Alexander with his feet dug into his back for a moment before he quickly spun around severing Maximilian's wings from his torso causing a large amount of blood to shoot out from his back. As soon as the appendages were severed Alexander's scythe vanished as he bent his knees before kicking off his father's back as if he were a floating trampoline.

"_So strong, so fast!"_ Maximilian thought in disbelief.

"_So this is what a hundred year's worth of wrath is like once it's finally unleashed" _Susanoo admired _"such viciousness, such violence…"_ he looked down upon his artifact _"…I'd expect nothing less from my Pandora's Jar!"_

Due to the pain and shock of having his wings cut off, Maximilian was unable to recover as he plummeted towards the ground causing him to crash, creating a large cloud of dust. Alexander on the other hand landed softly on his feet right next to the swords he had dropped after suffering from the hallucination of Lust. Gripping Nehan tightly in his left hand and Kokuhyou in his right he immediately dashed towards his opponent with enough speed to put the devil to shame.

As Maximilian finally managed to stand back up his son was in front of him swinging Nehan horizontally aiming for his neck, at first Maximilian tried to stop the blade with just his right hand but the sheer power behind it forced him to throw in his left or lose his head as a result.

"_I don't believe it, we're both injured yet he seems to have more power in his left arm than I have in my whole body!"_ Maximilian thought in disbelief, in less than a moment Maximilian felt his heart skip a beat as his son thrust his dreaded black long sword forward burying the tip in his left shoulder.

Maximilian screamed in agony he felt the horrible sensation of every nerve in his body screaming out as if they had been lit on fire. In spite of his many years of experience and the rigorous training which had made him so powerful, Maximilian couldn't stop tears from forming in his eyes due to the sheer pain which ripped throughout his entire body.

Taking advantage of his father's shaken state; Alexander released his grip on Nehan causing the white blade to crash to the ground with a loud clang so that he could add his left arm's strength to swinging Kokuhyou. Without wasting any time Alexander pulled Kokuhyou free from Maximilian's body before slashing him diagonally causing more blood to spray out of his body and more pain to shake him to the bone. This attack was immediately followed by another slash and another, both victim and inflictor alike lost count as they continued to mount.

Eventually Alexander spun around and drove the bottom end of Kokuhyou's handle into Maximilian's stomach which sent him flying backwards a couple dozen yards before he crashed into a rather large rock and found himself unable to stand up as he sat there beaten and defeated with his back lying against the large piece of earth. Alexander immediately let out another loud roar of rage which shook the ground around him as he dashed towards his father one final time.

Maximilian instinctively held his arms out in an X shaped formation to shield himself from his son's attack as he approached with his sword raised high into the air with both hands holding onto it with a death grip, however his eyes quickly told him what his mind already suspected, which was simply put, it wasn't anywhere near enough.

Shockingly Maximilian's only reaction to this realization was simple smile to stretch across his blood stained face followed by "well done my boy."

In spite of his enraged state of mind, Maximilian's words shook Alexander momentarily as he swung Kokuhyou down cutting into his father's left forearm as if it were paper. Before he could finish the cut something happened which surprised the Captain of Squad Five beyond belief, without blinking a flash of light appeared in front of his vision and he quickly found himself standing in well lit room inside of a familiar underground castle from his childhood. He looked to his side to see the familiar forms of his father and mother gathered around a cradle which held a single infant.

"Impossible" Alexander stated "what is this?"

"He has your eyes" the younger Maximilian said cheerfully to his wife, completely unaware of his own child's older self standing no more than three feet away.

"Yep, good thing too" Dorothy replied "I was a little afraid he'd look a little too much like you" she jested.

"That's so harsh" Maximilian feigned insult "you know married people are supposed to be nicer to each other."

"_A resonance perhaps, but how?"_ Alexander wondered when suddenly he recalled his father's transformation after releasing his sword _"of course, when an Arrancar's zanpakutou is released, their bodies become one with them…I'm a Vaizard so I'm part hollow as well so my spiritual pressure should be similar enough to one for me to see this."_

"You're no fun" Dorothy mocked though her smile clearly showed that she was beyond happy as she watched her husband cradle their son.

"_Alexander"_ Maximilian thought which his son was able to hear due to the resonance _"I'm sorry I wasn't able to fix this world before you arrived, please forgive me for that"_ the older Alexander tightened his grip at the man's thoughts _"but rest assured I will change it for the better, for the sake of the future, and most of all for you my son"_ he lovingly embraced his infant son as his wife made her way over to a nearby bed and drifted off into a peaceful slumber

The scene shifted to a conference room where Maximilian sat at the head with his council before him.

"I see so that's your plan" the former Lust said in understanding.

"I must say it's an interesting idea" the former Envy stated "and after hearing your reasoning I must admit it sounds like the only way really to bring about an end to war" the former Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, and Vanity nodded in agreement.

"I appreciate your understanding" Maximilian replied as he turned his head to the lone silent man of the room "what say you Wrath?"

"With all due respect chief I'd like to talk to you about this in private" the former Wrath requested.

"Very well" Maximilian agreed gesturing for the other six to leave "so what's on your mind?"

"Needless to say I was…quite shocked to hear about this plan of yours" Wrath began "that said, I have my concerns."

"Such as?" Maximilian inquired.

"Do we have the right to attempt world domination?" Wrath asked earning him a look of contempt from his chief "don't get me wrong chief, I'm very grateful to you and the Princess for finding me and helping me cope after what happened in Gettysburg, hell you even gave me something to live for" the two men stared one another down with their demonic eyes "that said, don't you think we may be overstepping our bounds here, we're not gods after all."

"Wrath" Maximilian replied calmly but the annoyance was evident in his tone "the whole point of this plan is to bring about an end to war on a global scale, imagine it will you?" he took a step towards the younger man "no more tribes being exterminated for their lands and recourses, no more cities turned to rubble by canon fire, no more people being murdered in public because of their ethnicity…" he placed a hand gently upon Wrath's shoulder "…imagine no more children being orphaned by Civil War."

The last part in particular struck a chord with Wrath causing him to let out a defeated sigh "I don't know about this, I'll need some time to think about it."

"Take all the time that you need" Maximilian instructed "I figured there would be some hesitation in my plan" he proceeded to head towards the exit.

"Please be careful my Lord" Wrath said softly not knowing that Maximilian was listening in "I fear you may be standing on the edge of madness."

Maximilian's face contorted slightly before he reset his resolved expression _"I'll do whatever I have to, for our clan, and my family!"_

Needless to say Alexander was completely shocked as the scene cleared and he was brought back to the present where Kokuhyou had just finished cutting through his father's arms on a deadly course with the man's neck. At the last moment Alexander stopped his attack shocking both men.

"You…you really weren't doing it for yourself" Alexander stated in disbelief as his father was finally forced to drop his released form and was panting heavily from the immense pain he felt from losing his arms along with the effects of being struck by Kokuhyou so many times "you truly did everything for the sake of our clan's ideals."

"That was my motive…" Maximilian said weakly as his torn body collapsed under its own weight "…but I…I was…too weak…as a man…and I fell…" he looked up to his son with his normal blue eyes "…I gave in to my desperation and fear…I tainted my hands with forbidden practices…caused the deaths of countless innocent people…I corrupted our clan…but worst of all…I betrayed and murdered my own family…"

Alexander raised his hand to his face only to feel the mask which had formed despite the fact that he hadn't called upon his hollowification _"was I really so obsessed that I didn't notice this forming?"_

"…It wasn't…it wasn't until after your daughter killed me for the second time and I changed into an Arrancar…" Maximilian continued "…that I finally started to ask myself some tough questions…Why….Why did my family turn on me? Why did I become a hollow so quickly after my body died? And most of all, why…was I sent to Hell?" he winced in pain as tears fell from his eyes "eventually I realized the truth…somewhere between my good intentions and my scheming I had become a complete monster…and Hell was my just punishment…"

"_Maximilian…"_ Alexander thought in disbelief.

"…then one day Susanoo pulled me out of the flaming abyss…he asked me to serve as a soldier in the event the Soul Society defied them…" Maximilian explained "…initially I felt more like killing Susanoo to make everything easier on you…but then I realized something…"

"What was that?" Alexander asked with a heavy tone.

"…That…that you…you undoubtedly were trying to shoulder all the blame for what happened because of me…" Maximilian answered "…when I figured that out I resolved to fight you with everything I had…and at the same time show you just how pathetic I was…" he coughed up a small amount of blood "…my goal was to anger you to the point that you would place all the blame that you've carried around all these years onto me….then dying by your hands I could at last atone for some small fraction my sins and free you from your guilt…"

"Fa…Maximilian" Alexander replied weakly.

"Please…stop blaming yourself…" Maximilian begged his tears mixing with the blood on his face "…it was all my fault, not yours…I'm begging you…you're…no…murderer…" his pleas were cut off when suddenly both Warlocks were wrapped in the black energy which surrounded them making them unable to move, Alexander was quickly brought to his knees.

"My, my, what a show" Susanoo stated in clear amusement as he approached the two Warlocks "I must admit I had no idea that you were plotting something so nefarious, and after I gave you a reprieve from Hell…so…ungrateful."

"It's…over Susanoo!" Maximilian hissed "physically you're no match for Alexander…and he's clearly already overcome all of the Seven Deadly Sins, so your jar is…of no further use to you!"

"True, I'm no match for him in direct combat" Susanoo chuckled maniacally "and I must admit I'm amazed by his resilience…" he gestured towards the Captain of Squad Five as he struggled "…most people I use my Pandora's Jar on usually fold after being tried by the fourth or fifth sin, to overcome seven of them is truly amazing; but aren't you curious Maximilian?" he stood in front of Alexander intently "if your son's truly overcome my Pandora's Jar then why hasn't this black hollow mask over his face disappeared?"

"What the Hell are you getting at?" Alexander demanded angrily in spite of the fact that he was now unable to move so much as a millimeter.

"Simple" Susanoo cackled "there are **more** than just seven sins for my Pandora's Jar to throw at its victim…in total there are **eight** deadly sins!" he smiled wickedly as he put his hand over Alexander's mask and said "now let the **fear** inside!"

As if following the Prince's command the dark energy which covered the ground began to surround the Captain's body, completely covering him in pure darkness from head to toe. Not surprisingly Alexander's vision suddenly went black as he felt his arms legs regain their movement. He stood up to find himself standing a simple patch of grey ground surrounded by an infant void of pure darkness. Hesitantly he took one step towards the edge of the patch of grey and to his surprise a path began to form in front of him. Taking a deep breath he followed the path until he reached a clearing large enough to hold a meeting between the thirteen captains.

Almost immediately Alexander wished he had simply stayed put as numerous blood red figures emerged, one of them wearing the robes of a priest. Seconds later a smaller figure emerged wielding a scythe, he immediately began to violently cut down the others. Within moments he stood over the figure of the priest who was now lying on the ground in front of him.

"You won't go unpunished for this! God knows what you're doing! Your fall will be hard and painful beyond the limits of your imagination!" the priest cried only to be mercilessly executed by having the blade of the boy's scythe buried in his chest.

Alexander could only fall to his knees as he watched the form of his younger self walk off as he heard his younger voice cry out "my God what have I done?"

Eventually the scene faded and once again Alexander found himself standing on another island of dusty grey, this time he made no attempt to move forward out of fear for what he was going to witness, however it didn't do him any good as the ground he sat on expanded on its own to display another horrible scene.

This time there were only three of the blood red figures, a man, a woman, and that of a boy in his late teens. The boy was standing motionless, shaking heavily as the woman stood in front of him with several crystal like projectiles sticking out from her body, moments later the man leapt in and cut her down with a large battle axe.

"MOTHER!" Alexander heard his own younger voice crawl out before leaping at the man with is scythe raised "MAXIMILIAN DARK-HEART!"

Once again the scene shifted, but this time instead of starting him off in a simple patch of grey ground, he was thrust right into the middle of the next scene which haunted him. This time there were only two figures, one was of himself as a young adult lying on the ground unconscious as a woman of approximately the same age shielded him from a lethal blow sacrificing herself in the process.

"Esther!" his image cried as he held her lifeless form "my love…my child…" a loud pained scream filled the air causing Alexander to fall to his knees before collapsing on the ground in defeat.

*With Maximilian and Susanoo*

"It would seem eight is too much for anyone, even your boy" Susanoo chuckled in amusement.

"Don't…don't underestimate him" Maximilian warned as he grinned defiantly at Susanoo "it'll take more than pottery to break him."

"Your faith is in vain" Susanoo replied smugly "as we speak the fear of his own past is threatening to tear your son's very soul apart."

"Damn you…" Maximilian swore weakly.

As Alexander lay on the ground in his subconscious he heard a soft gentle voice quietly whisper "don't give up."

*With Toushirou's group*

"Toushirou, the northwest" Shinji stated as they sensed the foul energy getting stronger.

"What the hell is going on up there?" Hiyori asked angrily.

"Kid you may want to send a Hell Butterfly back to base and order in some reinforcements" Isshin suggested "I don't know what's going on over there but I find it highly doubtful that anyone can overcome it on their own…" Toushirou said nothing as he continued running forward with Rangiku right behind him.

"In hindsight it probably wasn't a good idea to let him go off on his own, when we could have sent either Nell or somebody else with him" Ichigo added.

"It doesn't matter at this point" Toushirou stated "I know Captain Dark-Heart, whatever this Prince Susanoo throws at him, he'll win!"

"But" Isshin replied.

"Don't bother" Rangiku commanded "he may be a bit more flexible but he's just as stubborn as the old man was" she smiled softly before adding "but don't worry he's right, Alex will win, no question about it."

Isshin had half a mind to ask them how they could have so much faith in the man when they finally came upon the front gates of the castle. As they neared the front stair well the doors slid open revealing four figures. Three of them were individual members of Squad Zero but even from a distance, the shinigami and Vaizards could tell that there powers were well above the ones they had fought earlier, one of them was a man with pale skin and dull grey eyes, one was a woman with a slim figure and lifeless brown eyes, and the third was a slightly elderly man with a bulky build and dark black eyes; what made the third one in particular stand out was the solid blue orb the size of a melon which was embedded in his chest.

"Dad is that?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, it's the orb which allows the royal family to control Squad Zero" Isshin answered.

"These three seem to be significantly stronger than those foot soldiers we fought before" Shunsui noted.

"It's because of how close they are to the orb" Isshin explained "with a shorter distance between themselves and the orb of domination, these three Captains are liable to be several times stronger than earlier, that one with it embedded in his chest will be especially strong!"

"Let me take this opportunity to congratulate you all for making it this far" the fourth figure called out, it was a young woman wearing orange-brown kimono with several ornate golden dragons weaved into the fabric "my name is Izanami…" she had waist length black hair and brown eyes "... I'm the wife of King Izanagi and the mother of Susanoo, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Inari; but you may simply call me Queen" she pulled out what appeared to be a simple bow and arrow before drawing her weapon in preparation to shoot it.

The group suddenly realized two things, one the bow was emanating an immense amount of spiritual pressure and focusing it inside the arrow which was being pointed at them; and secondly due to the lack of cover, their low elevation in relation to the archer, and the line of sight, they were sitting ducks.

"Everyone stand back!" Isshin commanded as he leapt in front and pulled out a charm in front of him which created a powerful barrier just before Izanami released her arrow.

The arrow flew towards them at a frightful speed, but more terrifying than that was the fact that as it raced through the air it left a trail of destruction as it tore up the street and nearby buildings. When it finally collided with Isshin's shield it kicked up a dust cloud the size of a skyscraper.

"It withstood a direct hit from my Pashupatastra?" Izanami asked curiously "an impressive charm to say the least."

Meanwhile Toushirou, Rangiku, Shinji, Hiyori and Ichigo were standing underneath a clear dome of energy created by Isshin's charm as all matter of dust and debris flew around outside as if a tornado had passed through.

"Damn that was close" Isshin swore in relief before he noticed a number of small cracks forming "not good…"

"How many more hits can we take?" Toushirou asked calmly.

"Like that, I'd say one or two at most" Isshin answered "this is the strongest talisman I've got…and still…"

"Regardless it saved our lives" Toushirou stated as he focused on the outside "judging by the fact that she hasn't fired off another shot that leaves only two possibilities; either she can't sense our spiritual pressures from that distance, or she can't fire off arrows in quick succession…" he turned his gaze towards his allies "…either way we can't stay here, we're easy targets…" they nodded in agreement as the storm outside began to calm down "…we'll use the kick up from the second shot as cover to move towards the alley ways, from there we'll use the buildings to break the line of sight."

"Sounds good" Shinji replied.

"The problem is that woman" Shunsui sighed in annoyance "we need to get the Head Captain inside the castle so he can go after the King so we can't send him after her" he tipped his hat slightly "too make matters worse getting close to her will be nearly impossible and none of us here are that great at long range attacks as I recall."

"I've got a plan" Rangiku offered in an unusually calm and direct tone of voice "I'll provide cover for the Head Captain to get through the front gate, at the same time I want the rest of you to keep those soldiers from Squad Zero off my back, draw them as far away from here as you can…" she tightened her grip on Haineko's handle "…I'll deal with the queen."

"Absolutely not, are you insane?" Toushirou replied visibly furious as the dust outside cleared "that's way too dangerous!"

"Toushirou we don't have any better options, I knew the risks when I followed you into the Dongai" Rangiku retorted as she turned her gaze towards the silvery haired youth "besides…" she smiled cheerfully "…you know I won't disobey your order not to die."

"Here comes the second shot!" Isshin declared as a second arrow screeched towards them.

"Toushirou" Rangiku repeated.

"Damn it!" Toushirou swore in response as the arrow struck the dome causing a second explosion.

"WE NEED TO MOVE NOW!" Isshin shouted "THE NEXT SHOT WILL SHOOT RIGHT THROUGH MY BARRIER!"

"Fine" Toushirou conceded in defeat as he gripped his fist tightly "we'll do it!"

"I want to deal with the one with the orb in his chest!" Isshin hissed.

"I'll help you" Ichigo stated calmly

"Guess me and Hiyori here will take the chick" Shinji added "not exactly my style, but someone has to do it."

"Then that leaves me as the odd man out" Shunsui replied.

*With Unohana's group*

"The Head Captain's group and Captain Dark-Heart are all in extremely dangerous situations" Byakuya stated calmly as he sat up, his face still baring a couple of rather large bandages as he looked towards Retsu "I know most of our group is either injured or exhausted, but should we consider sending backup?"

Retsu took a deep breath as she considered their situation before replying with "most of you are in no condition to fight, and I can't leave this place…" she surveyed all the warriors gathered before her "…Ms. Odelschwanck, I am concerned about Captain Dark-Heart given how much time has passed, would you please go to his location in the Northwest and offer any aid you can?"

"Very well" Nell responded as she stood up and disappeared with a Sonido.

"What about the Head Captain's group?" Youmei inquired as she polished the blade of her sword with her robe, the handle was still dark red "I'm getting bored here!"

"It hasn't been that long" Retsu stated "I'll give them more time, but if it comes down to it I'll send you and Captain Kurotsuchi to lend your aid" Youmei nodded not wanting a confrontation _"be careful all of you, and Alex…don't give up."_

*Alexander's subconscious*

"Don't give up" Retsu's voice sounded in the infinite darkness which surrounded the Captain of Squad Five causing him to lift his head slightly.

"…Retsu…" her name slipped off his tongue softly as he drew himself to his feet _"…I…"_ he placed his right palm upon the ground _"…don't know if I have the right to call myself a captain…a shinigami…a warlock…or even a human being…"_ he was finally on his feet _"…let alone your lover…"_ he began to walk forward _"…especially after everything I've done, failed to do, and what I've just learned about my father…"_ he felt a comforting warmth coming from his chest_"…but at the __**very least**__ I can't fall now! Not when so much is riding on me!"_ his face carried a new look of determination as he came upon a larger whit version of Susanoo's Pandora's Jar.

After a couple seconds the lid slid off and a small white orb the size of a fist flew out and slowly drifted towards Alexander and hovered just in front of his head, unsure of what to think of the strange phenomenon, the Warlock took a step back before hearing a voice "in the shadows of fear, the light of hope will give you strength…"

"Mother…" Alexander whispered as everything went pitch black momentarily and he found himself standing in front of the dark red figures of the priest and the other passengers on the train who were his first victims; but unlike the first time this vision had played out in front of him they were all standing shoulder to shoulder with the Priest in the middle "…everyone, I'm…"

"Can you feel it, fellow child of God?" The Priest's image asked in a cheerful and uplifting tone "the light is shining upon you, changing you; it's the power of forgiveness" he took a step forward and extended his right hand "to be forgiven you must first forgive yourself."

A dark red figure of his thirteen year old self emerged from Alexander's body and walked towards the Priest and his fellow passengers. Though it wasn't easy, the veteran warlock was able to make out a faint smile upon the face of his younger self and the Priest as the former took the latter's hand and the others formed a circle around them each smiling as well.

As before black shadows began to wrap around Alexander, but he couldn't help but notice that these were a significantly less deep shade than the previous ones. When they cleared he found himself standing before two figures this time, one man and one woman, his parents. Unbeknownst to him the white orb from earlier began to sink into his chest right in front of his heart.

"Hope" Dorothy's figure began "it's a simple word and at times it seems like there's none of it left in the world. But no matter what darkness approaches, it endures, it survives, it perseveres, and it creates miracles" she extended her right hand "it is time you laid your demons to rest and stopped blaming yourself for what happened; I myself am partially to blame, as his wife I should have been able to keep him from the path he walked, you ended up suffering for my shortcomings."

"I…was weak in life" Maximilian's figure said in disgust "I was so overcome by fear and doubt that I destroyed everything precious to me, worst of all I dragged you both down with me…" he extended his left hand "…but there is a bright spot; in you there lies the strength that I lacked…the strength to see a sliver of hope no matter how dark the times…seize it, embrace it, and move forward" a dark red image of his seventeen year old self emerged from Alexander's body and fell into the loving embrace of his parents.

As the orb of light sank deeper into Alexander's chest and the feeling of warmth became stronger everything around him went grey as opposed to black, he found himself standing face to face with Esther's red form.

"Tell me something Esther" Alexander requested "does this strange phenomenon have anything to do with the part of your soul you used to reanimate my left arm?"

"No, it's simply the light which has always existed within you" Esther answered "the same light which allowed you to use your clan's dark powers without falling into madness, the light of a good soul."

"Don't know if that's appropriate, after all I've always been a very sinful man" Alexander replied.

"Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Vanity, Lust, Envy, Wrath, and Fear" Esther listed "those are man's eight great sins and if taken to excess anyone of them will lead a soul to ruin; however…" she took a step towards him causing the entire area to brighten slightly with each step "…it is essential to understand them in order to understand what it means to be a human being…" she placed her right hand over his cheek "…when properly balanced with Moderation, Charity, Determination, Humility, Love, Gratitude, Mercy, and Hope; a human being finds the strength to seize greatness."

"How can something good come from the eight great evils?" Alexander inquired.

"When Wrath is tempered by Mercy it becomes Righteousness which punishes the wicked and protects the innocent, when Fear is balanced by Hope it becomes Wisdom to know when one should exercise the power they've been given and when not to" Esther explained "right now your **guilt** is feeding your **fear**" she placed her palm over the light which was halfway in his chest.

"It is your guilt which keeps you held back by your past my son" Dorothy's form said as she emerged from the grey and stood just behind Esther's right shoulder "if your hope is to awaken and free you from Susanoo's shackles of fear, you must let it go."

"There is much blame to go around for what's happened throughout your existence" the Priest continued as he emerged from the shadows and stood behind Esther's left shoulder "ultimately it's because people on an individual level were too petty and shortsighted to see through their own prejudices that lead to all those tragedies; however no one person can or ever should try to carry that burden on their own, it's simply too much" he looked at the captain and smiled "it's high time you forgave yourself."

"I hear what you're saying, all of you" Alexander replied as he gripped his fists tightly "but still…I just don't know…I made so many mistakes; how many people were widowed because of me? How many children were orphaned because of me? How many parents lost their children because of me? I…I'm a mur…"

"Alexander" Esther's image cut him off gently as she embraced him "your actions gave an entire nation, perhaps the world even a second chance; isn't it about time you gave **yourself** one?"

Alexander said nothing in response as he stood silently in the embrace of Esther's image. Eventually he wrapped his arms around her neck as tears began to trail down his cheeks and he felt the light from earlier sinking deeper into his chest "thank you reverend" he turned his gaze towards Dorothy "I love you mother" she smiled softly in response as he looked Esther's image in the eyes "I love you Esther."

"My only regret…is that we never got to raise our **second** child together" Esther replied as the light fully sank into Alexander's chest causing a bright white flash which consumed the four of them.

When the light dimmed down slightly Alexander saw Elaina standing where Dorothy had been, nearby where the Priest had stood was Toushirou, and in his arms was Retsu who looked up at him smiling. Behind them were the familiar faces of his squad members, his fellow Captains and Lieutenants barring Mayuri, and the Vaizards all looking at him with either smiles or grins.

"Thank you all" was all Alexander could say to them.

"Are you ready Teacher?" Toushirou asked.

"You may have surpassed me" Alexander began "but don't think that means I'm down and out just yet" Toushirou smirked slightly in approval.

"Kick his ass dad" Elaina cheered.

"Please be careful" Retsu requested.

"I will and don't worry" Alexander replied.

*Outside Alexander's subconscious*

"_It's taking him longer to break than I had anticipated"_ Susanoo thought in annoyance as he paced in front of the Captain's still slumped form _"I guess I'll just have to find something to pass the time"_ his eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar sword sticking out of the ground "say Maximilian, this sword in its sealed form is the weapon that dealt you a fatal wound when you were alive correct?" he asked as he picked up the black long sword that Kokuhyou had become causing Maximilian to tense up "judging by your expression earlier it must be quite painful to be cut by this, even before he cut off your hands…" he gently rested the point of his blade at the base of Maximilian's right thigh "…let me show you the price of treason in the royal family!"

"Go to Hell!" Maximilian hissed before spitting in Susanoo's face.

The prince contorted in rage as he raised Kokuhyou preparing to deliver a fresh round of pain and suffering upon the former Chief of the Warlock clan, however his plans were brought to a screeching halt when the darkness which surrounded Alexander's body was suddenly blasted away freeing the Captain from both his inner and outer bindings. Before Susanoo could react he felt the younger Warlock's fist connect squarely with his jaw causing him to Kokuhyou to fly into the air as he was sent rolling back over a dozen yards.

"Impossible!" Susanoo gasped as Alexander caught Kokuhyou with his right hand.

"Just what I'd expect" Maximilian chuckled as his son ripped the black hollow mask off his face with his left hand.

Alexander smirked slightly as he extended a couple shadows from his left arm which raced over to where Nehan lay on the ground and quickly returned it to its master's left hand.

"I must say those are truly a nasty pair of artifacts you've got there" Alexander stated calmly as Susanoo dragged himself to his feet "one brings a condemned soul out of Hell and back to our plane, while the other tears away at the darkness within its victims' hearts…you truly enjoy making others suffer don't you?"

"How did you get here?" Susanoo demanded "the fear in your heart was deeper than anyone's I've ever seen, there's no way you could overcome it!"

"It was hope wasn't it?" Maximilian inquired and Alexander nodded.

"I don't get it! You were beaten!" Susanoo hissed in frustration "I saw the fear inside your heart consume you! Your own darkness should have destroyed you!"

"Unfortunately for you that's not all that's in my soul" Alexander replied as he began to walk towards Susanoo "you have a hell of a lot of nerve reopening those old wounds of mine" Susanoo took a step back as the Captain's spiritual pressure exploded.

"_This feeling…I can feel the same wrath he had when he went berserk on Maximilian…"_ Susanoo thought in horror as he slowly _"…but it's calmer…more focused, like a tranquil fury"_ he waved Pandora's jar in front of him sending a large wave of black energy which appeared to be filled with screaming faces racing towards the Prince.

Alexander simply crossed his arms before swinging both Kokuhyou and Nehan causing Susanoo's attack to scatter to the winds "I hope you're ready to face your punishment" he turned his swords causing the light to reflect off the blades in a menacing fashion "you've made a big mistake in making me angry" his voice calm yet so cold it sent chills up the Prince's spine.

"DAMN IT" Susanoo swore loudly as he held Pandora's Jar out in front of him before slamming it into his chest just above his heart.

"What's he doing?" Maximilian wondered aloud suddenly dark energy began to wrap around his body and Alexander stopped his pacing to watch.

As soon as the mouth of the jar made contact with Susanoo's chest a virtual ocean of black energy shot out and surrounded his body. Within fifteen seconds Susanoo had grown to a three story tall giant version of himself with faint yellow eyes and a body completely covered in black energy.

Alexander raised his left hand to his face planning to dawn his hollow mask but it wouldn't form _"that black mask from his jar must of used up all the time I can remain hollowfied"_ he deduced as Susanoo's energy erupted violently "no matter" Susanoo punched towards the Captain of Squad Five with his right fist causing him to leap into the air before calmly chanting "Bankai: Hakumeitenshi Kokuhyou and Nehan!" causing him to be surrounded in a vortex of black and white energy.

When the energy cleared the Captain's kimono had changed into a black sorcerer's robe with silver markings etched into the fabric, his haori remained un-altered which was unfortunate due to the blood stains, his fangs and claws disappeared as did his tribal markings, his eyes turned green though his irises were still shaped like slits, his raven colored hair had changed into a light blonde, his two long swords had merged together to form a large curved blade the size of his body, and his back sported pair of snow white wings which he used to dodge a follow up left jab with a well timed flap.

"An..angel…" Maximilian said in disbelief as he watched his son slash at Susanoo's left forearm causing blood to spray from the wound.

"Hurry up and die!" Susanoo cried as he swiped at the Captain with his right arm forcing him to ascend to avoid the hit, suddenly several shadows shot out from the Prince's arm and flew towards the winged Captain who showed no signs of distress as he cut them all down with a single swing of his large weapon.

"Limit of the thousand hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness…the crest of turbidity, seeping out…" Alexander chanted as he flew straight towards Susanoo's head and swung his sword down attempting to split it like a log "…shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky…an insolent vessel of madness…" at the last second Susanoo raised his left arm to defend, though Alexander's strike did dig into his wrist, it was not enough to cut all the way through "…the road that basks in light, the wind that ignites the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders…boiling up, denying, numbness, blinking, obstructing slumber…"

"_A dual incantation?"_ Susanoo thought in alarm as he opened his mouth and fired a stream of black energy which Alexander dodged by soaring back into the air _"what's more, those incantations are for!"_

"…light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower…the steel princess who creeps. The mud doll, ever disintegrating…" Alexander continued undisturbed by how tough the Prince's body had become or the fact that his injuries were healing shortly after he inflicted them; using his demonic eyes he could sense a panic in Susanoo's soul as he countless shadows shot out from his body towards him "…aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired…Unite! Oppose! Filling the earth, know your own impotence!" he dispersed numerous of Susanoo's shadow attacks with a swing of the fused Kokuhyou and Nehan while using his wings to dodge the blasts from his mouth; upon completion of the incantations Alexander released his left hand from his sword and pointed his index and middle fingers towards his target "Hadou 90: Kurohitsugi!" Susanoo quickly found himself surrounded in a box of pure dark energy as several spear like attacks pierced it from outside slitting him from head to toe causing him to yell out in agony; worst of all for the Prince that was only the beginning "Hadou 91: Senju Koten Taiho!" several spears of light shot out from his left arm before converging on a single point piercing through the black coffin and striking the oversized Susanoo right in the chest.

"Such power" Maximilian gasped in disbelief as Kurohitsugi faded revealing Susanoo's giant form which quickly fell to his knees with the spears of light sticking out from his chest _"even stronger than I imagined…"_ his gaze fell upon his son _"...truly well done."_

"Damn you…" Susanoo swore as Senju Koten Taiho faded revealing his normal body heavily injured with the chest cavity of the dark giant "you won't get away with that!" as he spoke the black energy of his giant self began to erase the wounds across its body while the hole in the chest began to close.

"_Even using numbers 90 and 91 in conjunction wasn't enough to destroy this"_ Alexander noted comely _"oh well then, guess I'll just have to use __**that.**__" _

"You can't kill me" Susanoo chuckled as more of the opening began to close "I'm going to tear your organs out, one at a time while you're still alive!"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that" a voice called out from behind him shocking both Alexander and Susanoo as Maximilian appeared right behind the latter through a surge of dark energy and wrapped his legs and what was left of his arms around Susanoo restricting his movements "I'm taking you with me to Hell Susanoo!"

"Maximilian!" Alexander called out in surprise "what are you doing?"

"Giving you some time to finish him off" Maximilian replied as his marks spread across his body and quickly spread over Susanoo's "when the Yomi Gates are destroyed I won't be able to remain on this plane any further; I'll either be returned to Hell or more likely I'll rejoin the cycle of rebirth, either way I figure I may as well help you."

"I see…" Alexander stated trying to remain composed though his shaking hands gave him away.

"I'm glad that you were finally able to forgive yourself" Maximilian said happily "it would seem that in spite of all the harm I've caused I was able to do some good by fathering helping bring you into the world…" he closed his eyes half way from sheer exhaustion and blood loss "…tell me something…" his voice grew far more solemn and heavy "…is it meaningless for me to apologize?"

"It is **never** meaningless" Alexander answered.

"I'm sorry" Maximilian replied as a tear crawled down his cheek.

"I…forgive you…father" Alexander said in response as tears began to form in his eyes as well before soaring into the air before beginning to chant "I call upon the whitest darkness of the angel and the blackest light of the demon…"

"Thank you…" Maximilian sighed as faint smile spread across his lips before the dark energy completely covered him and Susanoo as the dark titan's body finished regenerating.

"…four horsemen of conquest, war, famine, and death; join hands with the four saints of freedom, peace, prosperity, and life…" Alexander continued as he reached a safe altitude and the skies turned dark red and he gripped his sword tightly with both hands "…forces of Genesis and Apocalypse join upon my blade and bring forth the burning twilight…"

"Damn you fool, let me go!" Susanoo ordered as he tried to break free of Maximilian's restraint "you'll be destroyed too!"

"Didn't you hear me?" Maximilian asked in amusement "whether it's to Hell or Earth, we're both going there together!"

"…every light join hands with every shadow to birth new life, every shadow join hands with every light to burn all old decay…" Alexander recited as his right arm was engulfed in black energy "…my right arm is the undying Wrath which breeds hatred and ignorance, which in turn gives birth to war…" his left arm was wrapped in a bright shining light "…my left arm is the ever patient mercy which breeds love and tolerance, which in turn gives birth to peace…" his sword was suddenly engulfed in grey flames which sparkled with life upon his sword "…Hakumei Jouka!(Twilight Purification)"

Upon completing the incantation Alexander threw his sword like a spear towards Susanoo's dark form. Shortly before it landed Susanoo finally managed to break free of Maximilian's restraints and unleashed a volley of shadows towards the sword trying to knock it out the sky, however they were all quickly scorched in grey flames before they even came close to touching it. Inside the mammoth of black energy Maximilian simply smirked as Susanoo began to panic.

"It looks like you lose" the old warlock chuckled as the sword crashed into the ground creating an explosion of grey fire.

Though it only took moments, for Susanoo it seemed to be a nightmarish eternity as the grey flames quickly spread throughout the mountain top he was standing on, engulfing the entire area in a blazing grey inferno. In less than a heart beat the layers of black energy which shielded him were burnt away along with the Yomi Gates, before he knew it he and Maximilian were vaporized the former holding onto his smile until the very end. Immediately afterwards a large grey bonfire which seemed to reach up into the heavens formed erasing any and all signs of Susanoo, Maximilian, the Yomi Gates, Pandora's Jar, and most importantly of all; the final crystal which held up the shield protecting King Izanagi. After about fifteen seconds the flames died down, when they cleared the mountain top had been completely flattened with only a now sealed Kokuhyou and Nehan sticking out of the ground in the middle, moments later Alexander landed in front of his weapons breathing in exhaustion as his Bankai faded but his hair remained blonde.

The Captain of Squad Five stumbled slightly before sheathing his swords and saying "mission accomplished" he began to fall forward due to energy depletion however he was caught by a young Arrancar woman with green hair wearing what appeared to be a school uniform "what are you doing here young lady?"

"Ms. Unohana asked me to help you if needed" Nell replied calmly as she wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and helped him stand up "that was a large amount of energy you just unleashed."

"Not to brag but I'm probably either the first or second most powerful sorcerer in the Soul Society; my only competition being my fiancé" Alexander chuckled lightly before adding "I appreciate you coming out for me…"

"Don't worry about it" Nell replied as she used a Sonido to take the exhausted and injured Captain back to his loved ones.

*With Toushirou's group*

"_The shield's down"_ Toushirou thought as he, Rangiku, Shinji, Hiyori, Isshin, and Ichigo used the chaos of Izanami's second shot to take cover in the buildings to the side _"I knew you could do it teacher, now we just need to wrap things up on our end!"_

"You guys ready?" Rangiku asked as she tried to hide her own nervousness and they nodded signaling that they were indeed ready to enact her plan _"here I go…"_ she told herself as her spiritual pressure began to climb rapidly and her thoughts turned to a fateful choice she had made no more than three months prior.

*Flashback*

Rangiku was walking down the streets of Karakura Town alongside Rukia, both women wearing Gigais and a look of determination on their faces.

"So you're sure this is legit?" Rangiku inquired.

"Of course Lieutenant Matsumoto" Rukia assured her "I got this information from Ichigo myself, he had no reason to lie" they arrived outside a certain candy store before being greeted by the familiar blonde haired man who owned it.

"Well what do I owe the pleasure ladies?" Kisuke inquired with an eager tone of voice.

"We'd like to ask you and Lady Yoruichi for a favor" Rukia answered.

"Oh and what may that be?" Yoruichi asked as she appeared next to Kisuke with a curious look in her eyes.

"It's my understanding that the two of you possess some sort of training dummy which allowed Ichigo to obtain the Bankai release in just three days when he was trying to save Rukia" Rangiku stated not wanting to beat around the bush for once "we'd like to request that you let us use it ourselves" she bowed her head hopefully as Rukia did the same.

"I…don't know about that" Kisuke replied with a worried tone of voice.

"Rukia, Rangiku" Yoruichi said softly "that method for obtaining Bankai is incredibly dangerous and difficult; in fact before Ichigo, Kisuke was the only one who **ever** succeeded" she took a couple steps towards the two women "I know it's not as fast, but the traditional method is not only safer, but it also has a higher chance of success."

"We understand but please…let us try" Rukia begged "we…we just…"

"We don't want to be a burden to anyone" Rangiku finished as her thoughts turned to Gin and Toushirou "I lost someone precious because I wasn't strong enough, I want to become stronger so I can protect the other!"

Seeing the determination in Rangiku and Rukia's eyes caused Yoruichi to sigh before saying "follow me to our underground training area."

*End Flashback*

"_You were able to defeat one of the Princes with your newfound power Rukia"_ Rangiku thought as she felt her power reach its maximum _"now it's my turn to give Toushirou the cover he needs and topple a Queen!"_ she raised sword in her right hand and placed left palm near the tip before chanting "Bankai: Arashi (Storm) Haineko!"

Moments later a couple buildings collapsed as a large storm of dust and ash flew into the skies and raced towards Izanami and her guards. Thinking quickly she fired a third arrow from her Pashupatastra which caused the dust to spread out in numerous directions, however this proved to be a mistake as it merely moved towards her from several different angles. Eventually Izanami sensed four groups of spiritual pressures racing towards her; three were coming from below to her right, left, and center while the fourth was approaching from above all of them shielded from view by a cover of ash. Izanami's face contorted in anger as she fired an arrow towards the presence approaching from above which was coming in the fastest, her arrow shot a hole through the ash, however all it hit was the tail end of a dragon made of ice.

Before Izanami knew it Toushirou landed behind her and dashed through the front gate heading towards Izanagi; moments later Shunsui appeared grabbed hold of her male body guard before scurrying out of sight with him, then Shinji and Hiyori appeared and quickly dragged away her female body guard, and lastly Ichigo and Isshin appeared and grabbed the soldier with the orb of domination buried in his chest and escaped with a shunpo.

"Damn rat, I won't let you near Izanagi!" Izanami swore as she drew an arrow and prepared to aim at the castle in an attempt to collapse it down on top of the young Head Captain, however her attention was drawn when sections of the wall hanging above her head came falling down forcing her back as it sealed off the entrance to the castle.

"IF YOU WANT HIM YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME!" Rangiku shouted defiantly from her cover in the buildings as Izanami dispelled several of Rangiku's ash attacks with a single arrow which tore up most of the balcony she was standing on.

*Nearby with Shunsui*

"Sorry about handling you so roughly" Shunsui stated as he drew his swords "but I don't want to be interrupted" the man drew his sword and took a much stronger stance than his peers had and Shunsui noted the stronger spiritual pressure "I'll end it quickly; Katen Kyoukotsu."

*With Hiyori and Shinji*

"I see you're as strong as ever" Shinji chuckled as he and Hiyori parried the woman's barrage.

"They really did do it to you too didn't they?" Hiyori asked as she fought back a tight lump in her throat as the woman slammed her sword down upon hers.

"Hey Kirio!" Shinji called out as he lunged towards her forcing her attention on him "if you're in there it's time to wake up!" using his strength he forced her back "Kirio Hikifune!"

"Shinji…Hiyori…" Kirio called out as her body tensed and she gripped her sword "listen to me…you have to…" Shinji and Hiyori both looked at with pained expression "…kill me!"

*With Ichigo and Isshin*

"You ready for this Ichigo?" Isshin asked.

"Definitely" Ichigo answered as he unleashed his bankai and dawned his hollow mask.

"Good" Isshin stated as he took his stance _"all we have to do is destroy that orb, and then it'll finally be over!"_

*With Toushirou*

Toushirou ran through the corridors of the castle as he felt his friends' spiritual pressures rise as they faced their challenges _"time to bring this mess to an end!"_ he finally made it to the center of the palace where a lone figure sate in the middle of a rather beautiful tea garden, with what appeared to be a large koi pond in the middle.

The figure appeared to be in his late thirties, early forties. He had medium length black hair which he wore in a ponytail. His eyes were a dark brown and they had an expression of cold confidence etched into them.

"So you're the new Head Captain" Izanagi stated as he stood up revealing a katana sheathed in his left hand.

"It's over Izanagi" Toushirou stated "your children have all been defeated, the bulk of Squad Zero is dead, and I know for a fact that my friends won't lose to your wife or her bodyguards" he took a step towards him and locked gazes with him "drop your weapon and surrender, I promise to give you a fair trial once we return to the Soul Society."

"I see that the old man before you made a poor choice in his successor" Izanagi replied "you don't even understand that death comes before dishonor, particularly for royalty!" he quickly drew his sword sending a whirlwind towards Toushirou who dodged it with a shunpo "now come and face my Kusanagi if you dare!"

"So be it" Toushirou said calmly "Reign over the frozen heavens…" the air grew cold around the two men as storm clouds formed overhead and a gentle snow began to fall upon the soon to be battlefield "Hyourinmaru!"

**Author's notes: chapter 30 ladies and gentlemen, I had originally hoped to cover all of Rangiku's and Alexander's battles with this one chapter but as it came along I saw that wasn't realistic. One of my goals with this chapter was I wanted to try and change Maximilian's character from less of a complete monster which he seemed like in Chapter 14 into more of a well intentioned extremist or fallen hero, when reviewing I'd love to hear your thoughts on how well I did.**

**Anyway next chapter Rangiku vs Izanami, Toushirou vs Izanagi, and the others vs the remnants of Squad Zero. And for anyone who may be wondering the answer is "yes" the female member of Squad Zero that Shinji and Hiyori are fighting was Kisuke's predecessor as Captain of Squad Twelve, the one who Hiyori looked up to as a mother figure.**

**For those of you who don't read my House of Winter I have good news, that story is on hiatus until I finish this one (that way I can get to a new project, see my profile under "Children of Vanity" for details). So far I think it'll be two more updates and this story will be finished, maybe three but I doubt it. Hoping to finish this before Fall Semester starts so wish me luck.**

**In any case I hope you enjoyed this chapter please leave a review and have a nice day.**

**Pandora's Jar****: from Greek Mythology was said to be a jar which contained all the evils we know today (such as greed, wrath, and so on) until Pandora unleashed them upon mankind out of curiosity as to what was in the jar. In modern media it's most often portrayed as a box due to a common translation error which simply caught on as time passed. The way it works in this story is that it assaults the victim's psyche with all the vices which exist in the human soul starting with which ones are the weakest and working its way up to the ones which are the strongest; hence why for Dark-Heart it went Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Vanity, Lust, Envy, Wrath, and then Fear. The only way for the victim to not be overcome by it is for them to find the corresponding virtues within themselves to balance out the Jar's effects. When Susanoo turned the jar on himself he absorbed all the darkness within himself which caused him to transform into the giant at the end.**

**The scenario of Alexander being forced to witness his darkest moments, the theme of being held back by his guilt, hope freeing him from the shackles of fear, and Susanoo's dark transformation was inspired from the Pandora's Box near the end of God of War III**

**Pashupatastra- **** a bow from Hindu mythology which was said to be the weapon of the god Shiva. The bow is said to have been so powerful that it could destroy all of creation, obviously I've tuned that down in this story but I think I made it clear that it's still not a weapon you want to get hit by.**

**Kusanagi****- the third piece of the Japanese imperial regala like the necklace and Yata Mirror I gave to Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu. Unlike the other two pieces, this one actually has some specific powers mentioned in Japanese mythology (to my knowledge which is not saying much FYI), specifically power over wind.**


	31. Convictions

**Here it is ladies and gentlemen, Chapter 31. Still have a few loose ends I hope to tie up but I do believe chapter 32 will be the finale of Frozen Savior. **

**I do apologize for this update taking so long and not being as big as my last one, but there were…unfortunate developments with my family so I had hit bit of a snag for a while.**

**In any case please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review**

**I still don't own Bleach or Devil May Cry**

**Ch 31 Convictions**

"Tell me something Head Captain Hitsugaya" Izanagi began as he stood across from the silver haired shinigami their blades drawn as a gentle snow began to fall upon them "what do you hope to accomplish in defying the royal family?"

"Simple" Toushirou stated "I have plans for how I want the Soul Society to change, now that the Central Forty Six is dead, Aizen has been defeated, and I'm the Head Captain now; from a practical standpoint alone you're plans for world domination throw a wrench into mine."

"While I hate to admit it, I must concede that you and your soldiers have devastated my forces" Izanagi stated as the wind picked up blowing his hair to the side "I'm afraid that as things stand now, I'll be unable to conquer the World of the Living and the Soul Society."

"Then I suggest that you surrender now!" Toushirou warned.

"Why continue defying me when I can make you a far more...appealing offer?" Izanagi inquired.

"You're trying to bribe me?" Toushirou replied visibly angered by the King's audacity.

"Hear me out" Izanagi requested "we both seek power don't we?" he focused on Toushirou's eyes "once I rule the world, I'll need some strong and powerful people to work under me…" he extended his left hand towards the young Head Captain "…join me and you can become my right hand; together you and I can…" he stopped talking when Toushirou suddenly vanished with a shunpo and reappeared right behind him _"…he's fast!"_ he leapt forward just in time to avoid being run through the back.

Not wanting to let up on the pressure, as soon as Toushirou thrust his blade forward a massive ice dragon shot out from the tip and raced towards the king. Izanagi scowled as he spun around a hundred and eighty degrees and swung his Kusanagi down in a vertical slash which sent a blade of air soaring towards the ice dragon's head splitting it in two before it could reach his body.

"Just in case you have any doubt left" Toushirou began in a very cold tone of voice as he began to spin the crescent blade around on its chain using his left hand "that's how I say no" the moon shaped blade and about half the chain began to turn white as a thin layer of ice started forming before he threw it towards Izanagi.

Izanagi's eyes shot open in surprise as the chain extended towards him and the ice suddenly grew effectively making it five times larger than normal. The king leapt into the air to avoid having his body severed in two at the shoulders. As soon as he was airborne he saw three ice dragons form and attack him from all angles. Izanagi quickly swung his sword around a full three hundred and sixty degrees sending out a blast of wind in all directions which knocked the dragons off course. Moments later Toushirou appeared in the air just above Izanagi shocking the latter as he thrust his sword towards the King's face hoping to end the battle with one hit.

That however was not to be, at the last moment Izanagi literally flew backwards managing to dodge Toushirou's blade. When the silver haired Head Captain landed he looked up in shock to see the King of the Soul Society hovering in the air above me.

"_Guess this is worlds ahead of Ikari's Zanpakutou"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he remembered his last fight with a wind user.

"That's too bad Head Captain" Izanagi stated visibly angered by the young man's audacity "I could have made you a God!"

Before Toushirou could react a small twister appeared from behind and struck him in the back causing him to wince in pain as he stumbled forward. Taking advantage of his opening Izanagi swung his sword horizontally causing a large arc of wind to shoot towards Toushirou, the impact it created was so great that it sent him crashing through a nearby wall kicking up a large amount of dust and debris. Izanagi gently descended to the ground to see if that attack had done the trick but was instead greeted by a powerful blast of blue green energy which shot out from the hole and forced him to quickly regain his altitude before being incinerated. Feeling his heart rate practically double from what had just happened; Izanagi barely had time to react when an ice dragon even larger than the previous ones broke through the wall of his castle and attempted to devour him in mid air.

Gripping his sword with both hands, Izanagi held his sword horizontally creating a semispherical wall of wind in front of him. When the dragon began to clamp its jaws down upon the Spirit King it began tear apart as it met the barrier of wind.

"_This one has a lot more power in it than the last ones!" _Izanagi thought as the sheer force of the dragon forced him back despite his defensive stance, suddenly he gasped at the sight of his silver haired opponent literally running up the dragon's back wearing a dragon like mask over his face _"he's insane!"_ Toushirou leapt higher up before meeting Izanagi's shield so that he was in the air above him and pointed his right middle and index fingers towards the King before firing another blue green cero down on him.

Fearing for his life, Izanagi spun around to his right as he attempted to soar sideways. While he managed to avoid taking a direct hit from either the cero or the ice dragon, the sheer proximity he had with the former caused have of his left sleeve to disintegrate lengthwise and leave a minor burn which spanned nearly the entire length of his arm.

"You were careless" Toushirou stated calmly as he landed with a loud thud on the ground below and turned his gaze back towards Izanagi "taking the high ground is a basic strategy in warfare, just because you can fly doesn't mean you'll never come across an enemy who's creative enough to find a way around that!" he let out a slight chuckle "to make matters worse, I've figured something out about that sword of yours."

"Have you now?" Izanagi inquired.

"Your sword allows you to control the air within the vicinity" Toushirou began "your mastery of its use is so great your able to fly despite this plane being a spiritual dimension; you can even control the air that's not right in front of you."

"For figuring out so much you still seem quite confident" Izanagi stated as he nursed his left arm _"just need a second, let the pain run its course"_ he flexed his fingers _"good, I can make do"_ he gripped his sword tightly with both hands.

"You may be able to manipulate the air that isn't right in front of you, but I couldn't help but notice that that attack which hit me in the back didn't have much power behind it" Toushirou continued as he brushed the spot on his back where he'd been hit "judging by the feeling, you gave me a small bruise; as for your follow up attack just now" his hand glided over to his to his stomach and abdomen where he could feel some much bigger bruises and in some spots "if I got hit by it directly I'd be concerned, it'd do some real damage; lucky for me…" he raised his left hand and charged up yet another cero "…your aim is pitiful, your reaction times are subpar, and your instincts are dull; you've abstained from battle for far too long" he fired another cero which Izanagi dodged by flying to the side.

"_No choice!"_ Izanagi thought in frustration as he unleashed a massive spiritual pressure which caused Toushirou to stumble momentarily in surprise "have to go all out now!"

"_Holding back…I should have known" _Toushirou thought in annoyance as the grass at his feet began to bend and the water in the nearby lake began to churn _"this is going to be a pain."_

*Elsewhere*

Shunsui pushed forward swinging his short sword horizontally with his left hand forcing the former Captain to step back as he parried. Eventually one of Shunsui's strikes caused the man to stumble slightly, seeing his chance Shunsui swung his full length katana down with his right hand attempting to score a fatal blow to the man's neck; however his opponent quickly regained his footing and locked blades with the Captain of Squad Eight.

"You're very strong" Shunsui sated as sparks began to spit out from the friction of their two swords.

"Kill…me…" was the only response the once proud shinigami could give.

"How sad" Shunsui replied to the man's plea "but don't worry…" with a quick flick of his right wrist the soldier of Squad Zero's katana was caught in the circular niche in the back of Shunsui's sword; without giving the man time to react Shunsui pulled his katana back knocking his opponent off balance before swinging his short sword horizontally cutting into the man's chest causing blood to spray out from the opening "…you won't suffer for long" before Shunsui knew it, his opponent's blade was literally only a couple centimeters away, Shunsui leapt back just in time to avoid losing his head but the blade left a diagonal cut on his left cheek "too shallow, I suppose."

The warrior leapt towards Shunsui ignoring the blood leaking from his wound and unleashed a fury of sword swipes with such a fury that even he had to rely on the speed of his short sword to keep up with them. Eventually he parried one of his swings and attempted a counter attack with a horizontal swing of his katana which the man dodged by ducking quickly. Once again Shunsui was forced to leap back as the man thrust his sword towards the Captain; thankfully Shunsui was spared a fatal blow to the heart though his favorite straw hat was literally split in two.

"_He's fast and he knows how to exploit an opportunity"_ Shunsui thought as he regained his footing and the remains of his hat struck the ground _"this is going to be tough"_ he raised his swords _"but I have a job to do!"_

*Flashback*

"Shunsui, Jyushiro listen up" Yamamoto said in a commanding tone as he stood before his two students alone in his office.

"What is it master?" Jyushiro inquired curiously.

"It's about the war…" Yamamoto began.

"Why didn't you bring it up during the Captain's meeting?" Shunsui asked.

"…more specifically, who should succeed me if I don't make it" the ancient Head Captain continued ignoring his student's unorthodox manners.

"Come on now old man, you've been at this longer than anyone else" Shunsui chuckled lightly "I don't see you…"

"It is the duty of a leader to plan for the worst case scenario" Yamamoto cut him off "besides…like you just said Shunsui, I'm an old man" his students could tell by the tone of his voice that the wrinkles which covered his ancient form were feeling particularly deep at the moment.

"But master Yamamoto" Jyushiro replied "there isn't a shinigami alive who can ever hope to replace you."

"You're wrong…there is at least one who has that potential" Yamamoto replied calmly but with a commanding tone of voice "I believe you both know who I'm talking about."

"Captain Hitsugaya" Shunsui stated causing his former teacher to nod.

"True, his powers are beyond incredible for a shinigami as young as he is" Jyushiro sighed slightly "given time I suspect he'll become stronger than I was at my peak."

"I'll admit, if he keeps this rate up he stands a good chance at surpassing me" Shunsui confessed.

"Ideally, I want to survive this war and hold out long enough to turn the position over to him once he's grown stronger…more experienced…" Yamamoto explained "…but if that doesn't work out I'll have to rely on you…" he reached into his robes and pulled out a small envelope which was sealed with a chrysanthemum emblazoned in the center "…if I do not survive the coming battle, I want you to open this Shunsui; inside you shall learn the location of the King's Key."

"I'm honored master but are you sure you want **me** to be Head Captain?" Shunsui replied "I mean I understand that Captain Hitsugaya isn't quite powerful enough yet, but there's still Captain Unohana who's even stronger and ol…" he froze momentarily at the thought of how Retsu would react if she had heard him finish that particular sentence "…more experienced than I am; and there's also Captain Kuchki who knows the laws and regulations of the Soul Society as well as you do."

"Captain Unohana will have her hands full running the medical corp. regardless of outcome like she always has; it's simply too much for someone to head that organization and handle the responsibilities of Head Captain at the same time" Yamamoto stated "and while Captain Kuchki is indeed well versed in our laws; I don't believe he has the raw strength required to carry on as Head Captain."

"So it has to be me" Shunsui sighed.

"If it makes you feel any better I would prefer entrusting this to Jyushiro" Yamamoto replied sternly "unfortunately I fear that his health would get in the way of his duties too much."

"True enough" Jyushiro chuckled cheerfully as he rubbed the back of his head.

"_Don't sound so relieved"_ Shunsui thought to himself as he fought back the feeling of being betrayed.

"If I die in the war against Aizen consider this your motivation to help that boy develop as quickly as possible" Yamamoto instructed as Shunsui took the envelope finally "the sooner you get him prepared, the sooner you'll be able to pass the position onto him and go back to chasing women."

"Man, you're harsh" Shunsui chuckled as he pocketed the letter "I must say this surprising."

"What is?" Yamamoto asked.

"Your mannerisms just now" Shunsui answered "for the first time since I've known you seemed on the verge of actually letting out a chuckle old man."

"True enough" Jyushiro said in agreement.

"Kind of makes me want to ask: who are you and what have you done with the hard headed old man?" Shunsui chuckled.

"_It's too much power, no one should have it; not the King, not you, and not me"_ Toushirou's voice echoed in the old man's memory as he recalled the silver haired boy's response to his outrage over the destruction of the King's Seal which had shaken him far more than he had let on at the time _"when did you throw yourself away?"_ his question though short and simple, had cut deeper than any of the blades which had scarred his body.

"It's because I finally remembered…" Yamamoto sighed heavily "…who I was before I became a hard headed old man…"

Shunsui and Jyushiro could only stare at their former teacher in slight confusion at his strange behavior; the former unaware of the fact that he would be burning the envelope without opening it after the approaching war was over.

*Present Time*

"Damn it Kirio snap out of it!" Shinji swore loudly as he locked blades with his former colleague, his hollow mask greatly amplifying his **physical** strength.

"Shinji…" Kirio struggled as her body completely ignored every command her barely conscious mind sent it.

"Captain Hikifune" Hiyori cried as she tried to reach the woman who had been like a mother to her ever since she was a shinigami.

Kirio's only response was to parry Shinji's sword upwards knocking him off balance momentarily before grabbing him by the front of his shirt and literally throwing the former Captain of Squad Five towards Hiyori. Before the two could even hit the ground Kirio leap towards them, katana extended intending to finish them both off with a single thrust. Thinking quickly Shinji held his left fist out towards her and fired a dark red cero towards the former Captain of Squad Twelve forcing her to leap to the side to avoid incineration and giving them the time they needed to get back on their feet.

"Hiyori, get you act together" Shinji commanded "she's a lot stronger than those thralls from earlier!"

"Then why don't you quite crashing into me you stupid dickhead!" Hiyori spat back.

"Don't hold anything back now…" Shinji warned "…otherwise, you're dead!"

"I know that" Hiyori stated _"even so…this is still…Captain Hikifune…how can I ever…"_ her thoughts were cut off when suddenly Kirio appeared right in front of her and swung her sword down vertically forcing Hiyori to brace her katana with both hands to avoid having her head split open "damn it!"

"Hiyori…" Kirio said in a weak tone before being forced back by Shinji who swung his sword horizontally towards her neck "…Shinji…" she tightly gripped her sword with both hands "…help…me…" tears began to trail down her right cheek.

"That bastard!" Shinji hissed as his thoughts turned to Izanagi _"I hope you make him suffer for this Toushirou Hitsugaya!"_ he leapt towards Kirio and prepared to clash once again with his old friend.

Hiyori said nothing as tears began to crawl down her face, with a heavy heart she held her left hand over her face and dawned her hollow mask before letting out a loud roar and rushing in to aid Shinji.

*With the Kurosakis*

"_With this it'll finally be over!"_ Isshin thought to himself as he swung his sword down with all his might forcing his opponent back a couple feet _"I just need to destroy that orb!"_

Moments later the man pushed back against Isshin, his sheer power not only allowed him to regain his footing but to force Isshin back a couple yards. Luckily for Isshin Ichigo rushed in from the side the blade of his Bankai surging with onyx colored energy with a crimson tint, the orange haired teen swung his sword down diagonally attempting to sever one of the former Captain's arms from his body.

Like a natural born warrior the Champion of Squad Zero kicked Isshin in the abdomen forcing him back so that he could turn his waist and block Ichigo's sword. Upon impact a massive wave of energy shot down upon the man leaving a large approximately seven feet deep in the ground stretching for a few dozen yards. While the damage from the attack was severe as evident from the large burn on top of the man's head and the sheer amount of blood which covered his face, the Champion of Squad Zero was quick to parry Ichigo's attack and swing his sword vertically cutting into the teen's left shoulder.

"Damn it" Ichigo swore as he leapt back next to his father "how can he still be standing after that?"

"He has the orb of domination embedded in his chest" Isshin sighed heavily "figures he'd be the toughest of them all" he watched as Ichigo nursed his injury and yet their opponent stood as if nothing had happen despite the fact that his injuries were far worse "don't hold anything back now Ichigo, we can't let up for even a moment…" the orb embedded in the man's chest pulsated as it filled his body with power "…don't let up until his brain or heart have been destroyed!"

"Got it…" Ichigo replied as he gripped his sword tightly, wincing slightly from the pain in his shoulder _"…it's just not easy…aiming to actually kill someone who's still physically human…"_ he thought back to every time he had actually taken a life, though the circumstances differed from time to time there was one constant, they were all pure hollows, at this point he hadn't ever killed an Arrancar, let alone a pure shinigami or human _"…this is fucked up!"_

Father and son both leapt towards their enemy and swung their swords down vertically, the Champion of Squad Zero lifted his blade horizontally to block both their attacks, the force behind them causing his feet to literally sink into the ground.

*At the Palace Gate*

"_This woman"_ Izanami thought to herself as she eyed the now blocked off entrance to her own castle and noted the distance that her friends had taken their opponents _"she went through all the trouble of releasing her Bankai so that she could cover them…not only that she was able to use it in a manner that kept them hidden from my view so I couldn't line up a perfect shot until it was too late…"_

Several streams of ash began to race towards the Queen of the Soul Society intending bring about an early end to her tenure. With the speed and precision which would make the Quincy proud she drew three arrows to her Pashupatastra and caused the attacks to explode with the sheer power behind all three of her projectiles.

"_Damn" _Rangiku swore in her own mind as she observed Izanami from a distance _"she __**can**__ attack more than one target at once…although…"_

"Come on out street vermin" Izanami commanded from what was left of the destroyed terrace "face your end with some modicum of dignity!"

"_She's taunting me, trying to get me to come out of cover for a clear shot…"_ Rangiku thought to herself _"…she's kidding herself if she thinks I'll fall for that"_ she raised the handle of her sword before softly saying "Nenshoukaze(burning wind)!"

"_So she's not coming out"_ Izanami noted when suddenly she saw several rooftops of the buildings surrounding her opponent collapsed before several tornados of flaming hot ash formed and began to make their way towards the queen _"how many?"_ she quickly asked herself as she began to count them _"five…no six!" _she pulled six arrows from her quiver and began to shoot the tornados, dissipating them one by one.

"Odd" Rangiku said quietly as she saw Izanami's arrows negate her second and third attacks as they tore the ground apart in the process "her shots seem to have lost a lot of their power…" she thought back to when she fired off three arrows to cancel out her earlier wave of ash "…is she running low on power? Or is she…" she suddenly had an idea "…time for a little experiment" she tugged on her pink scarf.

"That was too close" Izanami sighed as she stopped to take her breath when suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw a small dash of pink in the landscape ahead of her "got you" she took a moment to regain her composure and drew her bow, after a few seconds she released the arrow "it's over!"

Just like before, Izanami's arrow left nothing but a path of utter destruction in its wake. Buildings collapsed as the arrow rushed by and a trench deep enough to hide three people standing on top of each other's shoulders was dug into the ground by the energy it released. When it finally struck the ground just beneath its target a large explosion the size of city block effectively obliterated everything it touched, kicking out large amounts of dust and debris in a ten block radius of the epicenter.

Izanami smirked in satisfaction but froze when she suddenly sensed a familiar spiritual pressure and heard its owner call out "Nenshouyari (burning spear)!" from a few blocks west of the blast radius a large pool of red hot ash merged together before shooting towards the Queen of the Soul Society in the form of a needle sharp spear which was about twenty feet in diameter and reached all the way to the ground as it raced towards its target.

"Damn it" Izanami swore under her breath as she drew up a second arrow and pointed it right towards the tip of Rangiku's attack "come on…" it was closing in on her fast "…almost there…" right when the tip of Rangiku's attack was literally only a few yards away from hitting her, Izanami released her arrow firing off another full powered shot which caused the ash composing the attack to explode outward before falling to the ground "…too close" she sighed in relief as the arrow continued to negate the ash before obliterating it completely once it struck the ground at the base.

"Just as I thought" Rangiku called out from her hiding spot a couple blocks away causing Izanami's face to contort in rage "you can't fire your bow at full power in rapid succession" she stated shocking the Queen slightly "that's why when used those six arrows to cancel out my Nenshoukaze, none of them had anywhere near the level of power as the one you used to counter Nenshouyari" breathing heavily Rangiku smirked.

"You're mistaken commoner" Izanami stated hotly.

"Oh really" Rangiku replied not buying her claim "then why pray tell did you let my last attack get so close to you before you finally released your arrow?" Izanami's face contorted with rage "thought so."

"Shut your mouth you damn peasant!" Izanami swore as she quickly drew another arrow and fired it off in Rangiku's direction.

Thinking quickly, Rangiku performed a shunpo to flee from the arrow's blast radius. Though she had thankfully managed at this point to avoid taking any direct hits from Izanami's weapon; the sheer amount of force in which it had thrown all matter of dust and debris had left the strawberry blonde covered in nicks and bruises, her hair and clothes were coated in dirt, and a small cut just above her right eye challenged her vision with a small but steady stream of blood.

"Close call" Rangiku sighed in relief as she tried to catch her breath "just need…to hold out a little longer…" as she said those words an image of Gin flashed through her mind _"…I…I won't let his sacrifice be in vain!"_ she sensed Izanami's spiritual pressure beginning to rise sharply signaling that another arrow was coming.

Ignoring her pain Rangiku forced herself to shunpo away to safety moments before her former surroundings were blown to bits. After touching down she focused her mind on only two things; the first was to avoid taking any direct hits from Izanami's Pashupatastra to stay alive, the second was for her to fully implement her strategy so that she could help Toushirou.

"Nenshoukaze!" Rangiku chanted as she gripped her weapon tightly.

*With Toushirou*

Izanagi swung his sword horizontally sending a massive arc of wind five times larger than his previous attacks towards Toushirou. The young Head Captain dove to his side, however his right side took a direct hit from the gust. The air literally shredded his sleeve and most of his legging, when he regained his footing Toushirou found his right limbs covered in cuts, a laceration just below his shoulder was particularly nasty.

"_Damn, he got one of my legs and my dominant arm"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as the pain made him wince "that attack of yours was much bigger and stronger than any of your previous ones, why'd you hold back until now?"

"Simple" Izanagi replied as he pointed towards the large ditch which his sword dug into the ground "my weapon is very destructive, I was hoping to avoid doing too much damage to my garden" he swung his sword again sending another arc of wind racing towards his opponent.

Armed with a much better idea of what to expect, Toushirou dodged the attack completely with a well timed shunpo "your garden?" he stated in angry disbelief as he swung Hyourinmaru sending a large dragon racing towards the Soul Society's King "what the hell is wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?" Izanagi inquired as he flew to his right to dodge Toushirou's attack.

"Your children are all dead and you were worried about your damn garden?" Toushirou replied as he jumped off his dragon's back surprising Izanagi as he swung his sword down on top of him, sparks began to fly every which way as the two men locked blades.

"I am a king!" Izanagi declared as he used his ability fly and the force of gravity to reposition himself and Toushirou so that he was on top in their mid air clash "it is I who decides the value of everyone and everything!" he swung down on both hands sending Toushirou crashing into the ground creating a large crater in the ground "being a king means being a God!" he swung his sword down vertically causing a long arc of wind to strike down on his enemy.

Seconds later the dust covering the silver haired shinigami was blown away by his spiritual pressure as a blue green cero shot out towards Izanagi "YOU'RE CRAZY!" Toushirou yelled as Izanagi dodged his blast "AND YOU'RE AS TWISTED AS AIZEN!" he followed up his cero with another ice dragon.

"Don't underestimate me boy!" Izanagi commanded as he thrust his blade towards the approaching dragon causing it to burst into dust forcing Toushirou to leap off early to avoid further injury.

"_He's catching on faster"_ Toushirou noted as he looked over his body.

Including the cuts on his right arm and leg, Toushirou could feel his blood pouring out from a couple of small wounds on his back from when he was sent crashing through the palace walls, the cold liquid he felt running down the sides of his nose told him that his forehead had been cut beneath his mask, and most recently of all the front of his kimono had been cut wide open from Izanagi's last attack revealing his upper torso covered in contusions.

"Why such harsh condensations?" Izanagi asked "you've surely witnessed death, killed people, and made sacrifices in the name of your own goals and ambitions" he looked down upon the young man with a bemused expression "surely you must realize that we are not so different" out of the corner of his eye he could see Toushirou was muttering something which terrified the King.

"Hadou 91: Senju Koten Taiho!" Toushirou finished firing off several spears of light towards his enemy.

The attack was far too quick for Izanagi to dodge. Out of impulse he waved his sword in front of his body to bring up a wall or wind to shield him, unfortunately for him the wind was of no help in trying to block an energy attack. Luckily though, Izanagi was able to keep two of the spears from striking him directly by blocking them with the ends of his sword, however the ones which did hit caused a massive explosion.

"Let me make one thing clear" Toushirou hissed clearly displeased with the comparison "you and I are nothing alike!" Izanagi emerged from the explosion with his hair singed, his robes shredded, and his body covered in blood.

"_Damn him, I was careless"_ Izanagi swore angrily in his mind.

"Yes, I've seen death on more than one occasion, I've killed more than just a few people, and I've made sacrifices to make it this far" Toushirou began as he nursed his wounds and pain shot through his body "some of those who died were people I loved or admired…" he thought of his grandmother, Kusaka, Momo, Kaname, Jyushiro, and his many allies who lost their lives in the recent conflicts "…there were those who I despised…" memories of Gojou, Aizen, and the Central Forty Six flashed through his mind "…and those who to this day I have yet to sort out my feelings towards…" his thoughts drifted towards Tia, Yamamoto, and Gin "…some of them died by my hands and some did not."

"_Such an overly sympathetic child"_ Izanagi thought in contempt.

"But one thing holds true for all of them!" Toushirou continued "I value what I learned from their lives and their deaths!" his spiritual pressure began to rise violently "but you…you and your family treat peoples' lives like a cheap commodity!" he raised his sword with his right hand and pointed it towards Izanagi "to give yourself sanctuary you people sacrificed the lives of over a hundred thousand innocent people when you destroyed Atlantis to create the King's Key!"

Izanagi swung his Kusanagi horizontally sending a spinning wheel of wind hurling towards Toushirou forcing the Head Captain to dodge with a shunpo before sending yet another dragon towards the King which he in turn turned to dust with a thrust of his Kusanagi.

"If you really care so much than why are you still able to fight after all you've lost in less than half a year?" Izanagi demanded.

"Simple, I just had to ask myself; what would those I cared for want me to do if they were still with me?" Toushirou replied "and most of all, what should I do for those who are still alive!" his thoughts turned to his friends and allies "it is for the sake of both those who have died and those who are still alive that I press on, they are what keeps me going!" his thoughts turned to a certain strawberry blonde who had a real talent for annoying him "I care more about them than I do myself, and that makes me **completely **different from you!" his spiritual pressure skyrocketed and both the snow and the winds that accompanied them.

"_Such power!"_ Izanagi thought in amazement.

"Bankai!" Toushirou called out as ice formed over both his arms in ice and forming a pair of dragons' heads over his hands, a fifteen foot long tail lashed out behind him leaving small trenches in the ground, both his legs were now shielded by razor sharp talons made of ice, the back of his neck and head was shielded by the ice which had taken on the shape of the back of a dragon's head, the icy armor which covered his torso caused his very blood to freeze over his wounds effectively stopping the bleeding, a pair of large wings made of ice formed over his back, and his sword was now emitting an icy mist which seemed to soak any manner of warmth in the air around the blade "Touketsukyuusaisha Hyourinmaru!"

"So you can fly to" Izanagi stated.

Deciding to let his actions speak for him Toushirou flapped his might wings propelling himself towards Izanagi determined to end his rule once and for all.

*Back at base camp*

"Not bad Ikkaku" Kenpachi stated as the two strongest men in Squad Eleven made their way towards their allies' base of operations covered in blood, their Lieutenant and Fifth Seat following closely behind them.

"Thank you Captain" Ikkaku replied happily.

"When we get back to the Soul Society, you're going to pay for holding out on me all these years!" Kenpachi added with a blood thirsty tone of voice.

"Sounds like fun" Ikkaku said in response.

"I advise you both to refrain from any further destructive behaviors" Retsu warned as she appeared behind the two men causing them both to freeze in place "the Head Captain has left me in charge in his absence, so you both should be on your best behavior."

Several moments passed before they both replied "yes…ma'am…" as they took in their new surroundings.

"Looks like things have been pretty rough" Yumichika stated when suddenly his eyes fell upon the still form of Jyushiro Ukitake "it can't be!" he gasped.

"Whoa" Ikkaku said in disbelief.

"What happened?" Kenpachi asked utterly surprised by what he was seeing.

"His illness caught him at a bad time" Retsu answered.

"There, that should take care of your arm Captain Dark-Heart" Hanatarou stated calmly as the Captain of Squad Nine stood up.

"Wow, you're really good at what you do" Elaina said in an impressed tone of voice "my arm feels as good as new."

"I'm glad you're alright Captain" Shuhei replied.

Elaina smiled at her lieutenant softly before walking towards the fallen Captain of Squad Thirteen where Rukia was sitting over him with a lifeless expression in her eyes. Letting out a small sigh she gently placed a hand over the petite woman's shoulder as she thought back to how she could only kneel and cry over Esther after she died.

"It never gets easy does it?" Elaina asked gently but Rukia offered no response "I remember back when you and I were both part of Squad Thirteen, with him and Lieutenant Shiba, or as he liked to be called 'Captain Kaien' on occasion."

"I…I failed to save him…" Rukia stated.

"It's not your fault Rukia, this is what happens in war" Elaina stated as she pulled her haori free from her body and gently threw it over Jyushiro's body shielding it from the cold air.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see her Squad Six counterpart approaching, though he did his best to maintain his calm and dignified composure, one look into his eyes told the Captain of Squad Nine that he was deeply concerned for his little sister.

"Rukia…" Byakuya said softly though he was at a loss for words.

"Byakuya" Rukia said in response as she turned to her older brother "I'm glad Lieutenant Koutestu was able to heal you" her voice was still weak and more than a tad shaky from the trauma she had only recently experienced.

"Say Rukia, mind if I ask you a question?" Elaina inquired "what pray tell, do you think that **you'd** do if you found Ichigo moping around like this?"

"I…I'd probably…" Rukia began as she considered the question.

"Yes, go on" Elaina encouraged her.

"…smack him about a bit…" Rukia managed to say with a very slight hint of a chuckle "…after that I'd probably chew him out for being so pathetic…"

"You're truly an extraordinary person" Elaina chuckled "but then again that Ichigo guy seems to be the type who benefits from that type of treatment."

"Indeed" Rukia replied as she too gave a small laugh which surprised her.

"Listen to me Rukia, you knew Captain Ukitake better than I did" Elaina stated "so you should know that he was a great man and he wouldn't want you to mope around over his passing" Rukia looked up to the Captain of Squad Nine with a stronger yet slightly more aggressive expression in her eyes "when the rest of Squad Thirteen hears about this I imagine they'll be heartbroken, perhaps just as much as you are, especially Kiyone and Sentarou."

"What are you getting at?" Rukia half asked, half demanded surprising Byakuya and Elaina.

"_She's getting her guts back, good…though I suspect Captain Kuchki won't be sending me any cards over the holidays"_ Elaina thought to herself "my point is that when this happens, Squad Thirteen will need someone new to lead them, someone who they know and can believe in."

"Captain Dark-Heart, are you insinuating that…" Byakuya began but was interrupted.

"I advise you to think about it" Elaina said calmly as she left the Kuchki siblings to be alone.

"Rukia, are you alright?" Byakuya began as he extended his hand towards her.

"I'm fine" Rukia answered as she gently gripped his hand and he helped her up _"me…Captain of Squad Thirteen…"_ she looked towards the covered form of her Captain who now had the Kanji for nine over his chest _"…I don't know…I just can't imagine anyone besides Captain Ukitake at the helm…"_

Moments later two more beings appeared; one was a female arrancar who appeared to be in her mid to late teens with long wild green hair, her mask looked like a human skull missing the mandible but instead had a pair of curve horns to the side as it rested on top of her head. The second was a male shinigami who appeared to be in his late twenties, early thirties; he had dark green eyes which were slightly blood shot from exhaustion, his normally black hair had turned a light blonde color, and his body was bleeding in several places.

"Who the Hell are you?" Kenpachi asked not recognizing the Captain of Squad Five with his blonde hair.

"Dad" Elaina called out in concern as Nell gently laid him on the ground and Retsu rushed up to him followed closely by Elaina confusing the Captain of Squad Eleven

"Nice to see you're well to, Captain Zaraki" Alexander chuckled good naturedly though he winced in pain mere nanoseconds later _"that's the down side to not being in the middle of a fight…no adrenaline or endorphins to numb the pain…"_

"None of these wounds seem serious" Retsu stated as she examined him with her hand which was emitting a soft green light "you have over a dozen small contusions, several cracked bones, some muscle tears…"

"_I really over did it"_ Alexander thought to himself.

"…and you've depleted your spirit energy" Retsu finished.

"Damn, with a diagnosis like that you'll need at least four or five days of bed rest before you're fit for duty dad" Elaina replied with a heavy sigh.

"Well I'm glad you fared better than I did" Alexander stated with a soft smile across his face.

"_Odd, he's seems in an unusually good mood considering his condition"_ Retsu noted "Alex, what happened to you?"

"It's…a long story, but you know that thing you asked me to do before we came here?" Alexander replied and Retsu nodded "I actually pulled it off…"

"Are you serious?" Elaina asked and he nodded causing the young Captain to smile happily at her father.

"You can fill us in on the details later, right now I need to treat your wounds" Retsu stated though she was struggling to hold back tears of joy from what she had just heard.

"Sure, so what's the situation here?" Alexander inquired.

"The Head Captain has taken the Kurosakis, Shinji and Hiyori, Captain Kyouraku, and Lieutenant Matsumoto with him to deal with the King" Retsu began "the other groups all succeeded in destroying before you did, unfortunately Captain Ukitake…" the eyes of the Captains of Squads Four and Five and both drifted towards the motionless figure which was covered by Elaina's haori.

"Any word on how they're doing?" Alexander asked.

"None, though we have sensed numerous strong spiritual pressures clashing, and if you look into the distance…" Retsu began as she pointed her free hand towards the storm clouds over the palace "…it's evident that they're all engaged with the enemy."

"I see" Alexander stated as he began to feel some pain relief "don't worry…" Retsu looked at him intently "…they'll be fine…they're all **very** strong" his words caused Retsu to smile softly.

"For now focus on letting me heal your wounds" was Retsu's only verbal response.

*With Shunsui*

The Captain of Squad Eight was descending towards his opponent with his left sword raised, his beloved pink women's haori now laid discarded and bloodied on the ground. In addition to a cut above his right eye, Shunsui had a number of small cuts throughout his outfit, many of which would have been fatal had the attacks been direct hits. His opponent on the other hand still only had the one cut across his chest and from what Shunsui could tell, it had already ceased bleeding.

"_Takaoni!"_ Shunsui called out in his mind as he swung down his short sword down on the former Captain.

The man's legs nearly collapsed due to the sheer amount of force behind the swing. Out of the corner of his eye, Shunsui swore he saw an element of shock in his eyes as he stumbled backwards. Using the opening to his advantage, Shunsui leapt towards the Soldier of Squad Zero and thrust forward with his katana, although his opponent succeeded in deflecting it away from his heart where Shunsui was aiming, he was unable to stop it from digging deeply into his left shoulder severing the arm from his torso.

"You poor man" Shunsui stated in a solemn tone of voice as his enemy didn't let out so much as a whimper from losing a limb "you're not even free to scream in agony from a wound like that are you?" the man said nothing has he held his katana with his on hand "I'll put you out of your misery" suddenly the former Captain's hand began to grow bright white which startled Shunsui.

Within moments a bright flash of light exploded from where the soldier of Squad Zero stood and spread out for blocks in a blinding white glow. After about a minute it began to dissipate revealing the warrior standing alone, the battlefield completely untouched but with no sign of Shunsui which puzzled him since his kidou was only meant to be used as a blinding spell. He quickly froze in place when a shadow pierced his right shoulder from behind.

"_Kageoni!"_ Shunsui called out in his mind as he emerged from his enemy's shadow and his attack retracted "smart move trying to blind me, but you let your guard down" the former Captain stumbled back a few steps as blood continued to pour from his wounds and his breathing became heavier and heavier "this next one will finish it, I promise" Shunsui took a step towards him as he readied his katana "Irooni…" he dashed towards the man who guarded his chest with his sword while Shunsui thrust forward with the katana in his right hand "…white."

Boosted by the power it gained from the Squad Zero soldier's white uniform and Shunsui's white haori, combined with the toll that all of the poor man's injuries were taking on his body. Shunsui's katana shattered his opponent's sword as if it were made of glass before piercing his chest until his blade was buried up to the guard causing the former Captain to cough up a large amount of blood.

Shunsui closed his eyes momentarily but felt them shoot back open when he felt the man's hand gently touch his back "magnificent…I'd expect nothing less…from a Captain…" he said weakly as his life faded from his body.

Shunsui remained silent as he pulled his sword free and laid the man's body to rest, heavily he swung his blades to the sides to throw off the blood and sealed them, grabbing his pink haori and the remains of his hat he gave his opponent one final glance of respect as he left the scene.

*With Shinji and Hiyori*

"_Shit, we're not getting anywhere!" _Shinji swore in his mind as Kirio forced him and Hiyori back with her katana despite the fact that the two Vaizards were both wearing their masks _"even if it's Kirio, we should easily be able to overpower her two against one!"_

"Shinji…" Kirio said through clenched teeth as she slashed vertically down upon the straw haired man and cut into his left shoulder causing a stream of blood to arc into the air "…Hiyori…" the blonde girl leapt at her from behind, her sword changed into a long saw like blade raised in the air; however before she was able to bring herself to swing it down, Kirio swung around and slashed into the small girl's stomach causing her to bleed heavily "…quit…" Hiyori stumbled back as she nursed her injury with her left hand "…holding…" Shinji leapt back to avoid a horizontal swing of her sword "…back…I…know…you're both…stronger…"

"_We're holding back?"_ Shinji thought in disbelief but after a moment he couldn't help but see the truth.

"_I…I can't do it…"_ Hiyori realized as tears began to fall from her eyes behind her mask _"I…can't kill Captain Hikifune…"_

Before Hiyori knew it Kirio appeared right in front of her and wrapped her left fingers around the girl's neck. The small Vaizard's eyes opened in shock as she was quickly and violently slammed into the ground creating a crater as the former Captain raised her sword so that the tip was lined up perfectly with her forehead.

"HIYROI!" Shinji shouted as he ran towards the pair as quickly as he could _"damn it, I'm too far away!"_

"Captain Hikifune" Hiyori struggled to say through clenched teeth as her former Captain's grip caused her vision to blacken.

Tears began to fall from Kirio's eyes as she thrust her sword towards Hiyori's forehead. Everything seemed to slow down for Shinji and Hiyori as Kirio's blade thrust towards her face, a wound which would surely kill her former Lieutenant. Just as it seemed certain that Hiyori's fate had been sealed something unbelievable happened, when the tip of the former Captain's sword was literally only a couple centimeters away from the former Lieutenant's face, a small explosion occurred right over the woman's chest sending her flying to the side where she landed on her back.

"What…the hell?" Hiyori asked in disbelief.

*Earlier with Ichigo and Isshin*

Ichigo attacked the Commander of Squad Zero with a flurry of swipes which he parried, moments later Isshin appeared behind him and swung his sword upwards trying to exploit his opening. The Commander simply leapt into the air forcing the father and son to leap back from one another to avoid killing each other.

"Damn, his defenses are too solid" Ichigo swore in frustration "and he's way too freaking fast!"

"Ichigo" Isshin began as he eyed their opponent "if I can keep him still for just a moment, can you finish him?"

"Only if you can do something to keep him from blocking me" Ichigo answered.

"I see" Isshin replied "put your mask on and prepare the biggest Getsuga Tenshou you can manage."

"What are you planning?" Ichigo asked.

"Don't ask questions, just do as I say and be prepared to kill him" Isshin commanded earning him a suspicious glance from his son, after a second of contemplation Ichigo dawned his hollow mask and his sword was quickly engulfed in a surge of black energy "I just want you to know…I'm very proud of you Ichigo…"

Before Ichigo could respond Isshin leapt towards the Commander and the two began to trade swipes with one another. Though Isshin was no slouch with a sword, he was unable to land so much as a single nick on his opponent. To make matters worse, the Commander was quickly gaining the upper hand, performing more and more swipes and giving Isshin fewer chances to try and counter him.

"_Damn it dad what are you doing, he's going to get you"_ Ichigo thought in frustration but just barely managed to stop himself from jumping to the fray _"you better give me my shot quickly or you're going to…"_

Isshin swung his sword down vertically only for it to be parried by an upward swing of the Commander's Zanpakutou. Using the opening to his advantage the Commander followed up his attack by rotating his right arm around and using his waist to drive his sword right through Isshin's abdomen causing him to spit out blood from the wound.

"DAD!" Ichigo shouted.

"_Damn it kid stay focused!"_ Isshin swore in his mind as quickly grabbed onto the Commander's right wrist with his left hand preventing him from pulling his sword free "NOW ICHIGO!" in less than a heartbeat Ichigo Kurosaki appeared behind Squad Zero's commander and swung his fully powered Getsuga Tenshou horizontally.

Thanks to Isshin keeping the Commander in place and unable to block the attack, Ichigo's sword severed the man's head from his shoulders as if he were cutting through grass. After more than a year as a shinigami, the time had finally come; Ichigo for the first time in his life had killed another person of his own volition.

"_I really killed him"_ Ichigo thought in complete and utter shock at what he had just done.

"Don't beat yourself up over it Ichigo" Isshin instructed as he stood back up "that man…most of him died a long time ago…" he looked down upon his former comrade's body where he saw the orb of domination still glowing in his chest cavity "…that's what that damn orb does…it kills people while turning their remains into mindless pawns…" he placed his hand over the sword which was still locked in his abdomen "…take it from someone who's been there…if he could say anything to you…it would probably be 'thank you'…"

"Dad you're wounded, we need to have those guys from Squad Four look at you" Ichigo stated as he looked upon his father.

"That won't be necessary" Isshin replied as he yanked the Commander's sword free with one pull causing a large amount of blood to spray out.

"You dumbass!" Ichigo swore "you just sped up the bleeding!" he began to walk towards his father intending to drag him to see the medics "you're a doctor you should know better than to…" he reached forward with his left arm in an attempt to grab Isshin but his father simply sidestepped him as he prepared to dash past him.

"I'm very proud of you Ichigo" Isshin said softly as he dashed forward at full speed confusing his orange haired son as he neared the Commander's corpse and lifted his Zanpakutou "GETSUGA TENSHOU!" he swung his sword down upon the orb of domination creating a massive wave of pure energy which caused the Orb of Domination to shatter into nothingness as a bright light filled both men's vision.

When the light finally died down he saw Isshin lying on his back battered and beaten, but with a smile on his face "DAD!" Ichigo cried out as he rushed over to him "come on stay with me!" he placed his hands over his father's shoulders "I'll take you to Hanatarou or Captain Unohana, they can…" he was cut off when Isshin gently touched his cheek with his right hand.

"It's okay Ichigo…" Isshin said softly "…I knew…"

"Knew what?" Ichigo demanded.

"A long time ago…back when I first met Kisuke…we talked about the orb in depth…" Isshin began weakly "…he hypothesized that…that due to how connect the orb becomes with its victims…that if the orb were to be destroyed…the odds were above ninety nine percent that anyone who had ever been enthralled by it…would…they would die shortly afterwards…" Ichigo's eyes opened in sheer shock.

*With Shinji and Hiyori*

"Captain Hikifune!" Hiyori cried as she held the limp form of her Captain "please open your eyes!"

"Kirio, what the hell just happened?" Shinji asked not expecting an answer.

"The…orb…" Kirio manage to squeeze out as her eyes opened about halfway "…someone, must have…destroyed it…"

"Captain Hikifune" Hiyori replied happily as tears of joys began to form in her eyes.

"Hiyori…I'm glad you're alright" Kirio stated as a smile crept across her features "have you been well?"

"A…a lot of crazy things happened after you left" Hiyori explained her voice shaking slightly as she felt Kirio's spiritual pressure growing weaker and weaker "but…I made it through…"

"I see, Shinji must have done a good job look after you" Kirio replied with a weak, but happy chuckle.

"Shinji…please Captain, I had to watch out for that stupid dick-head…" Hiyori stated.

"Thank you for looking out for her Shinji" Kirio said gratefully to her former colleague.

"You shouldn't thank me" Shinji stated "she's been through Hell, and I was unable to shield her."

"I'm sure you did the best you could" Kirio replied.

"Come with us, I'll fill you in on everything" Hiyori offered.

"I'd like that…so…very much…" Kirio assured her as her breathing became weaker and weaker.

"Come on, Captain!" Hiyori cried desperately.

"I'm…glad I got to see you two…one…last…time…" Kirio said as her eyes slowly slid shut and the last spec of light left her body.

Hiyori was too stunned to say anything; all she could do was cry in the shoulder of the woman who had been like a mother to her. Likewise Shinji was at a loss for words, sighing heavily he walked up to Hiyori and gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

*With Isshin and Ichigo*

"Why the Hell would you break it if it meant sacrificing your life you idiot?" Ichigo asked in a furious tone of voice.

"Because…that **thing**…it needed to be erased…" Isshin replied "…it took away everything from us Ichigo…our lives…our wills…our pride…absolutely everything…" tears of pain and sorrow began to fall from Isshin's eyes as he thought of all the time he had spent under its control "…something like that, must never be allowed to exist..." he batted his eyes before looking Ichigo square in the eye "…I…left a note…to Karin and Yuzu, explaining everything…"

Ichigo's face contorted in rage "you came here **planning** to die and now you're trying to explain it all away with a fucking note!"

"…that's not what I was trying to do!" Isshin replied "please…Ichigo listen…to what I have to say…"

"Damn it dad" Ichigo swore weakly.

"…you, Misaki, and your sisters…after I lost everything to that accursed orb, it was the four of you who gave my life any meaning…" Isshin explained as he gripped his son's wrist tightly "…at first I was living only for the sake of revenge against King Izanagi…but when I finally got here I stopped caring about revenge…" he focused on his son's eyes who looked at him with a shocked expression "….ever since I got here, I've been fighting for the sake my family…" Ichigo's gaze lowered out of shame of accusing his father of trying to be selfish "…the hollow that killed Misaki…I destroyed it when it went after your friend Kon; your mother's already been avenged…" he took a deep breath before adding "…if you choose to continue on as a shinigami…you needn't do it for vengeance…"

"If I choose to continue as a shinigami?" Ichigo inquired in a confused tone of voice.

"…or if you want, you can just live out your life as a normal human, nobody could blame you…" Isshin continued "…you wouldn't have to fight anymore, wouldn't have to risk your life, and you would never have to kill again…"

"What are you getting at?" Ichigo asked solemnly.

"…take it from someone who knows Ichigo…" Isshin commanded "…regret…shame… guilt…they're all very different beasts when you live for centuries, millennia even…" he coughed up a small amount of blood "…if you choose to continue as a shinigami you must be at peace with the fact that you'll inevitably be forced to kill again…otherwise the guilt will consume you from within…"

"Dad…" Ichigo said softly .

"…whatever you decide Ichigo…" Isshin struggled "…I wish you and your sisters…a very long and happy life…" for the last time Isshin's eyes slid shut shocking Ichigo.

"DAD!" Ichigo screamed as tears of rage and sorrow fell from eyes.

At that moment Isshin Kurosaki, Kirio Hikifune, and countless others were finally freed. Freed after years, centuries, and in some cases millennia of the hell of being forced to serve a cruel master with no will of their own. But now they were finally free to return to the cycle of rebirth where they belonged. Those who were able to think or feel anything before their passing felt a wide range of emotions; the strongest of which was their joy that their suffering was finally at an end and a deep sense of gratitude to the brave souls who made it possible. In a matter of seconds all of these poor tortured souls faded to reborn into new lives where they could once again, truly live.

*With Izanami and Rangiku*

"It can't be!" Izanami gasped in disbelief "those were the strongest soldiers we had; there's no way they could have!"

"You underestimated our allies" Rangiku chuckled from the distance which drew the Queen's ire as several more twisters of burning ash raced towards her "you do realize your invasion plans are ruined now?" Izanami fired a few arrows in succession negating Rangiku's attacks "without that orb you no longer have an army, and without an army you can't hope to conquer a single city, let alone two whole worlds!"

"That orb" Izanami stated coldly "was made by me!" Rangiku was shocked at her statement "all I have to do is make another one!"

"You made that thing?" Rangiku asked in disbelief.

"Yes…" Izanami began as she readied her bow and caught a glimpse of strawberry blonde hair in the distance "…I did" she unleashed her grip causing the arrow to shoot straight towards its target.

"Damn it" Rangiku swore when she realized that Izanami's arrow was speeding towards her.

Though she managed to avoid taking a fatal amount of damage due to her shunpo, her close proximity left her buried in a pile of rubble; when she dug herself out she found her face covered in blood. To make matters worse, she was unable to stand because of her now broken right leg.

"Finally got you" Izanami said in an amused tone of voice as she readied her bow for one final shot "with that leg you won't be able run anymore" she lined up her shot with the Lieutenant of Squad Ten "as soon I'm done charging, I won't leave a trace of your pitiful existence" a smile crept across the Queen's face "any last words?"

"Why?" Rangiku asked weakly "why would you make something like that orb?"

"Why not?" Izanami replied "we needed a well trained, well disciplined army; take free will out of the equation and it becomes much easier."

"But at what cost?" Rangiku demanded angrily "just how many lives have ruined by that **thing's **existence?"

"What do I care?" Izanami asked in response "my husband and I are royalty, the lives of the Soul Society's highest nobility are as nothing to us" she felt her energy building up "so naturally the lives of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of commoners like yourself are of no impact…" she was at least eighty five percent charged "…lives of commoners like yours are of no consequence, that's why you've lost!"

Izanami was about to release the arrow from her perch far away from where Rangiku remained slouched on the ground when suddenly a thin spear of ash shot out from the boards beneath her and severed the strings of her Pashupatastra horrifying the Queen, moment later four pillars of burning ash shot out from the planks effectively boxing her in.

"But how?" Izanami asked in disbelief as she felt the very ground beneath her.

"My Zanpakutou…" Rangiku began, her breathing was heavy and forced due to her injuries "…in its shikai state, Haineko's blade turns to ash; each spectacle is like a small microscopic sword, the higher the concentration…the more powerful my shikai becomes…"

"_Damn this woman!"_ Izanami swore in her mind.

"…my Bankai Arashi Haineko maintains these principles, but with one slight addition…" Rangiku continued as she smirked mischievously "…unlike my shikai which can only utilize the dust and ash created when the blade disintegrates, my bankai can use any dust and ash present on the battlefield to make it stronger!"

"You mean?" Izanami asked in sheer terror.

"That's right, my attacks up to this point served three purposes" Rangiku stated "the first was to probe you to test the limits of your bow, the second was to break up the buildings and roads to create more dust and ash to use as my weapon, and the third" the ground beneath Izanami began to shake ever more violently "was to distract you so that I could funnel enough ash underground to attack you from below!

"How dare you, you lowly peasant!" Izanami hissed angrily at the Squad Ten Lieutenant.

"Earlier you were saying that the lives of commoners like me were of no consequence, that we had no impact" Rangiku stated as she locked her gaze upon the Queen "well let's see how much of an impact I leave on you!" she pointed the hilt of her sword towards Izanami before chanting "Nenshoukeishi (Burning Execution)!"

At Rangiku's command the four pillars of ash began to rotate and saw a perfect circle into the deck which held the Queen in place. Once complete the boards collapsed and turned to dust a swirling vortex of burning hot ash. All of the status and wealth which came with being the Queen of the Soul Society could do nothing to save Izanami as she too was almost instantly consumed by the ash of Rangiku's Bankai.

"_I…did it…"_ Rangiku thought to herself as she resealed her Bankai and the pain from her broken leg shot throughout her body causing her to collapse onto the ground _"what did you think of that Gin?"_ she wondered as her thoughts momentarily drifted to her childhood friend _"it's time for you to bring it all home now Toushirou"_ with her last thought completed Rangiku allowed her exhaustion to carry her into sweet unconsciousness.

Less than a minute later Shunsui appeared with an approving smile on his face as he prepared to carry the young woman back to base camp for medical attention, they were quickly followed by Ichigo and the Vaizards who each brought the body of a loved one with them. None of them could say anything as they made their way back, but in spite of that their thoughts were the same. They each wanted Toushirou to ensure that Izanagi paid dearly for what has done.

*With Toushirou and Izanagi*

"Izanami…" Izanagi stated in disbelief as he crossed blades with the silver haired Head Captain.

"You're alone now" Toushirou said coldly as he swung his sword horizontally sending half a dozen ice dragons racing towards the King.

"No matter!" Izanagi replied as he regained his composure and swung his sword in front of him in a clockwise motion creating a massive twister which shot out and collided with the first four dragons, grinding them into dust while the other two were simply blown off course "she and the orb can both be replaced!" with god like speed Izanagi dashed towards the Head Captain and swung his sword down diagonally burying his blade in Toushirou's left shoulder causing blood to spray forth from the wound "what's this no retort?" in an instant Toushirou swung Hyourinmaru horizontally cutting into Izanagi's abdomen forcing the King to fall back.

"Your own children meant nothing to you, why would I be surprised to hear that you held your wife in similar regard?" Toushirou asked rhetorically as ice began to form over Izanagi's stomach wound "that said you still disgust me!"

Izanagi swung his sword horizontally sending an arch of wind rushing towards Toushirou who had to shield himself with his wings causing the tips of them to break off. After the attacks stopped, Toushirou opened his wings as they regenerated and flew towards Izanagi before attacking him with a series of one handed swings due to his inability to move his left arm. Izanagi manage to block each attack with his Kusanagi, however the power behind the blows was putting an immense amount of pressure on his sword as well as his arm, the fact that his own left arm was barely in any better shape than his opponent's due to the earlier injury did not help the King of the Soul Society.

"You fly well, I'll give you that" Izanagi stated as he soared into the air above Toushirou "but let's see how you handle flying in high winds!" he held up his Kusanagi which began to glow a light green color.

As soon as it started glowing Toushirou could feel the winds becoming much stronger and wilder. Just by feeling the air on his face, Toushirou could tell that they were not only growing stronger, but they were also beginning to fluctuate in the direction they were blowing at more and more unpredictable intervals. Soon the winds had gained gale force strength and threatened to throw Toushirou to the ground like a meteor. Thinking had won, Izanagi smirked widely at his tactic, but that smirk quickly turned to a look of terror when Toushirou suddenly appeared in front of him and thrust his sword towards the King's face cutting into his right cheek. Thinking quickly Izanagi flew back to avoid taking further hits as ice formed over his face around the cut looking at Toushirou in confusion as he seemed to have little trouble remaining airborne.

"Ever since I learned my Bankai comes with wings I've gone up to the highest mountains in Northern Rukongai" Toushirou stated coldly as he used the force of the winds to stabilize himself "compared to the **blizzards** I've flown in, this is nothing!" Izanagi's eyes opened in shock as the clouds above him suddenly opened "Hyoten Hyakkaso!" at his commanded snow began to fall towards Izanagi.

Though it looked harmless, Izanagi was not foolish enough to risk it. Realizing that the radius of the upcoming mass of snow was far too wide for him to dodge he pointed his sword above his head and began to spin his arm around in a small circle sending a twister to meet the attack and throw the snow off course to the ground. This proved to be a smart move on the King's part, because as soon as a single flake of snow touched the ground, large flowers made of ice formed instantaneously. When the attack finally finished, everything from the Koi pond and the plants, down to the very walls surrounding the two fighters was incased in ice.

"My castle!" Izanagi hissed furiously as he surveyed the damage done.

"I'm not done yet" Toushirou stated calmly as he raised his sword into the air and his eyes began to glow blue green despite the effects of his hollowification before chanting "Buriza-do(Blizzard)!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth, than the temperature had dropped even lower than it already was. Izanagi couldn't help but gasp in shock as his very breath seemed to crystallize right in front of him before falling to the ground below and the snow which had been falling ever since their fight began picked up significantly. Not wanting to wait for something to happen, Izanagi soared towards Toushirou raising his Kusanagi to attempt to land a fatal blow. However before he could get within ten feet of the new Head Captain something happened which completely shocked and horrified the King of the Soul Society.

The wind picked up exponentially and literally blew him off course like a fly in a tornado slamming him into the frozen ground below creating a crater the size of the man's body. Izanagi coughed up a small amount of blood due to the impact but managed to stay conscious. As he pulled himself up he was greeted by the sight of over a dozen ice-sickles the size of his arms racing towards him with the wind at their backs. Thinking quickly, Izanagi swung his Kusanagi horizontally attempting to blow the projectiles off course, unfortunately for him his attack was working against the wind and not with it; as a result he was unable to deflect all the ice-sickles which lead to one being buried in his right leg.

Before he even had a chance to scream in agony another gust of wind blew Izanagi back into the air where was forced to endure further torment. The ice whether it was sharp or blunt felt like he was being pummeled by all matter of weapons, the very wind which he believed to have been under his command seemed as if it intended to rip him apart at the seams, and each flake of snow which touched his flesh seemed to suck the very life from his body.

When the attack finally finished Izanagi found himself kneeling on the ground battered and beaten, his wounds were bleeding heavily, his clothes were tattered and torn, and due to the ice-sickle imbedded in his right leg, he was unable to even stand. He looked up into the skies furiously to see Toushirou hovering in the skies above, no more injured than when had called the attack's name.

"I'm impressed" Toushirou admitted as his hollow mask crumbled and faded "Buriza-do is my second most powerful attack; I thought for sure that would have ended you" he pointed his sword towards Izanagi _"it's a shame I have to wait until the temperature drops below zero and fill the air with moisture before I can use it"_ he thought to himself as thought of all the ice attacks he had used to create the necessary conditions.

"Wh…" Izanagi tried to say though he was out of breath "…what…are you?"

"Leader of Squad Ten and Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads; Toushirou Hitsugaya" Toushirou answered as he looked out upon the massive palace from above which was now covered in snow and ice, countless holes littered the roof tops, and the wind blew various bits of debris every which way _"good, everyone's at a safe distance now; I can use __**it**__ without any worries!"_

"Damn…you!" Izanagi hissed.

"It's over Izanagi, don't consider it a sign of respect that I've chosen to finish you with my strongest attack" Toushirou stated coldly as he held out his right arm "Touketsutentouken (Frozen Heaven Blade)!"

All the ice covering the ground immediately turned to a frozen dust before shooting towards the Head Captain's blade, the sheer force of their departure caused several sections of the palace to literally collapse under the pressure. Eventually the black storm clouds and the ice which encased Toushirou's body were sucked into the blade as well causing to glow bright white as gravity caused him fall towards the ground. About halfway through his descent Toushirou flipped Hyourinmaru so that he was holding it upside down in his right hand.

Seeing that his enemy was coming right at him, Izanagi swung his Kusanagi with all his might sending a massive wave of wind racing towards the young shinigami. Unfortunately for Izanagi, his attack seemed to split to the sides without even touching the blade. Desperate, Izanagi raised his Kusanagi and braced it despite how his arms screamed in protest. Unfortunately for the King of the Soul Society, Hyourinmaru pierced through Kusanagi like it was paper.

Immediately after shattering the Kusanagi, Toushirou's sword pierced his enemy's chest like it was a marshmallow. Before Izanagi could even feel anything a massive wave of snow exploded outward from where Hyourinmaru struck. Within a matter of moments the waves grew in size until they were over a dozen stories tall as they relentlessly rushed outward, sweeping up everything in their paths; even the royal palace, the very symbol of the Soul Society's Royal Family was wiped away by the snow.

When the waves finally died down, Toushirou was standing alone in the middle of a vast frozen tundra as far as the eye could see. His body was covered in wounds which were still bleeding and his breathing was heavy.

"_Touketsutentouken…Hyourinmaru's ultimate attack, which can only be used when Bankai has been released…"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he sheathed his Zanpakutou _"…in addition it requires vast amounts of moisture and freezing temperatures…after absorbing the former into my blade through the air in addition to the snow and ice created by its other techniques…" _he raised his right hand to nurse his left shoulder_ "…the power of my sword is increased exponentially and once all the moisture is released back into the battlefield…" _he surveyed his empty white surroundings _"…it erases everything within a twenty mile radius, leaving nothing but a frozen wasteland"_ taking a deep breath Toushirou took a couple steps out onto the snow before vanishing with a shunpo to reunite with his allies.

"Toushirou you're back" Rangiku said happily as her favorite silver haired Captain emerged "you're hurt!"

"So are you" Toushirou stated as he surveyed his Lieutenant.

"It's not too bad, just a broken leg" Rangiku replied before wincing in pain "though Captain Unohana did say I wouldn't be walking for at least a week…"

"I see…" Toushirou responded as he let out a sigh of relief "…I'm glad you're all right."

"Looks like you had quite the fight Head Captain" Retsu stated as she walked up to him and began to look him over from his right side "sit down please" a command Toushirou was all too happy to obey given the fact that his legs felt like they were made of lead "nothing too serious" she noted "you might need a day or two before you can move this left arm of yours…"

"…give us about fifteen minutes and we should be able to stitch up the rest" Elaina added as she started helping her soon to be stepmother from the Head Captain's left side "that was one hell of a fight, I could feel the cold from all the way over here."

"It did get a little intense" Toushirou replied as he felt the pain beginning to fade slightly "thank you both, Captain Unohana, Captain Dark-Heart" the two women simply nodded before going back to work as his eyes drifted to his other allies.

First up was the Captain of Squad Two who was uninjured but seemed completely devoid of energy due to using her Bankai, though it wasn't nearly as bad as the war against Aizen when she used it twice in one day.

"I trust that you're alright Captain Soi Fon?" Toushirou inquired.

"It'll take a lot more than this to kill me" Soi Fon stated bluntly as she stood up though her breathing was still heavy from exhaustion.

"Damn, it's over" Youmei swore as she began to pace back and forth, the bottom of her haori flapping around because of the balls of her feet "and I was hoping I'd get the chance to beat some poor bastard to death with their own arm!"

"Youmei, please just shut up and let the **other** you take control" Toushirou half requested, half demanded.

"Fine, screw you guys" Youmei retorted before she paused momentarily "I'm so glad you're alright Head Captain, I was worried about you" those in the audience who weren't used to Youmei during her little **switches** were stunned into silence "I apologize for Savage's behavior, she's…actually not all that bad if you talk to her."

"_Kiss my ass Princess!"_ Savage replied in their shared head _"wait a minute it's the same ass…"_

"You've done well Captain Unohana" Toushirou stated as he saw Isane and Hanatarou tending to Ichigo, Shinji, and Hiyori but paused when he saw the dead forms of Isshin Kurosaki and a woman from Squad Zero "what happened?"

"When the orb was destroyed, all members of Squad Zero…past and present…" Ichigo began as Rukia placed a comforting hand on his shoulder much like had done for her hours before "…died due to the connection they had with it…"

"_I see"_ Toushirou thought as his eyes fell upon the woman.

"She was…an old friend" Shinji explained solemnly.

"I'm sorry" Toushirou replied as he looked at Byakuya, his face now completely healed as if his wounds had never happened.

Next was the Captain of Squad Eight who had shed his hat and woman's haori, he was stained with blood but Toushirou correctly suspected that none of it was his own. A single glance told Toushirou everything he needed to know about Elaina, her arm was covered in bandages but she apparently had little trouble using it so long as it wasn't anything strenuous; to the side he could see Shuhei standing resolutely with a couple of bandages.

Ikkaku and Kenpachi were both sitting across from one another covered in bandages, one look in their eyes told Toushirou everything he needed to know about their plans once their wounds were healed which gave him an earsplitting headache. The Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Twelve stood silently since neither of them had engaged in any major battles; the former seemed to be just as annoyed and as infuriated as when he had left him, the latter however had her eyes fixated on the young Quincy who was starring at her **father** with a very serious expression draped across his face.

"We completed our mission with only two casualties" the Captain of Squad Five stated from his resting spot, his hair still blonde from exhausting his spirit energy "by the numbers this was a very successful operation" his tone however bore no signs of joy or excitement.

"What was it you said once, teacher?" Toushirou inquired with a heavy tone of voice "in war there are no true victors?" Alexander simply nodded as Toushirou felt the bleeding stop.

"So what next?" Rangiku asked.

"We're going home" Toushirou answered simply "we've got a lot of work to do" he stood back up though he winced slightly "right now there are three squads without captains, to make matters worse, two them don't have a lieutenant."

"That is a problem" Shunsui stated in agreement.

"Hey Toushirou" Ichigo called to the Head Captain "I'd like to talk to you when we get back to my world…"

"Alright" Toushirou replied "but it's 'Head Captain Hitsugaya' damn it!" his outrage caused a few of the gathered warrior to crack faint smile as they prepared to ship out.

"Forgive me Head Captain" Uryuu said calmly as he walked past the silver haired shinigami "but I'm afraid I'm going to have to make that Captain shortage worse for you" he adjusted his glasses.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Toushirou asked in annoyance not expecting such words out of the usually calm and stoic Quincy, the Captains in particular raised an eyebrow at his behavior as he walked up towards Mayuri.

"Got a problem Quincy?" Mayuri inquired in an annoyed tone of voice as Nemu stepped back with a nervous look on her face.

"It's time to finish what we started back in the Seireitei" Uryuu stated, the hatred evident in his voice.

"Get over it, that was months ago" Mayuri replied nonchalantly.

"Uryuu what is wrong with you?" Ichigo demanded in confusion.

"Aizen is dead" Uryuu said calmly "the Royal Family's plans for conquest have been thwarted, now I have no distractions!" the rage was evident in his spiritual pressure.

"What are you going on about Ishida?" Toushirou asked sternly.

"This…thing…" Uryuu said through gritted teeth "…he bribed the shinigami who were supposed to be protecting my grandfather into letting him die!" sparks actually emitted from the teen's left hand "what's more after that he kidnapped his soul, tortured him as part of some sick experiment which killed him a second time!" everyone hearing this revelation was shocked and disgusted by what they were hearing "did you really think I could ever forgive that?"

"You know…I can totally see him doing that" Elaina stated causing Shuhei and many others to nod in agreement.

"Is this true Kurotsuchi?" Toushirou demanded.

"My my" Mayuri sighed "why are you all so upset over something so trivial?" his eyes were half closed out of annoyance as Uryuu manifested his bow.

"We end this now!" Uryuu hissed.

"Someone had best restrain the young Quincy" Mayuri suggested "he could get hurt, or worse."

"Teacher" Toushirou whispered to Alexander "can you use that crystal, you implanted in Kurotsuchi from all those years ago?" he asked as he recalled Alexander's first encounter with the sadistic Captain of Squad Twelve

"May not take much energy, but it's still more than zero, which is what I have currently" Alexander answered, moments later Retsu placed her hand on the back of his neck as her hand glowed intensely transferring a small amount of her spirit energy into him causing his hair to turn jet black "on second thought it would seem I **can** do it if need be" he turned his gaze up to Retsu "thanks dear" Retsu smiled softly in response.

"Everyone clear out" Toushirou commanded as everyone who could stand got to their, those who couldn't were helped up; Shinji, Ichigo, and Shunsui picked up the bodies of Kirio, Isshin, and Jyushiro respectively "whatever happens here Kurotsuchi, you'll no longer be the Captain of Squad Twelve or the Chief of the Department of Research and Development" his words clearly infuriating the mad scientist who glared at the silver haired Head Captain "and Quincy.." he called out to the teen wielding a bow comprised of his own energy "…try not to die!"

Uryuu said nothing as the shinigami made room for them. The only thing on his mind was vengeance against Mayuri for what he had done to his beloved grandfather. The youth's blood came to a boil as Mayuri drew his abomination of a Zanpakutou and the two warriors prepared to settle the conflict which had begun more than six months ago.

**Author's notes:** **and that's chapter 31 ladies in gentlemen. One of the things that really annoyed me about the canon story line up to this point was that Uryuu seemed to let go of his grudge against Mayuri; I mean some crazy scientist kills your grandfather and then tortures his soul as part of some sick experiment, how do you forgive that? Next chapter this conflict will be given some much need closure and of course there are still other matters such as filling all those vacancies and Toushirou's plans for the post Central Forty Six Soul Society. **

**I hope you all will stay tuned for what I suspect will be the final chapter, Chapter 32. Resolutions. In the meantime please leave a review telling me what you thought of the fights, Rangiku's Bankai, and if you don't mind I'd like you to give me your opinions about my OCs (aside from them taking up too much of the spotlight). Were their personalities believable given what they had been through? Did they ever make you laugh, cry, or feel any other sort of emotion? And most importantly of all, how well did they fit into the Bleach universe? In any case I hope to update/finish before the 22****nd**** of August. **


	32. Resolutions

**Author's Notes: And there was one…**

**It's finally here boys and girls, the last chapter of Frozen Savior and for once I was able to meet my own deadlines *screams for joy* **

**All joking aside I have enjoyed these two and a half years of working on this fic and I hope you all have as well. I thank you all for your reviews, especially those of you who give more than one sentence.**

**For the last time (with this fic anyway) I do not own Bleach or Devil May Cry**

**Please read, enjoy, and of course review; but before you do that last one please read the Author's note at the end.**

**Ch 32. Resolutions**

Two men stood across from one another in the courtyard which had been a warzone for hours. One was a young man of about sixteen with dark raven colored hair which was short in back but had two long bangs in front. His eyes were a dark blue which almost always seemed calm and focused behind the glasses he wore, but today they also carried a hint of killing intent. From head to toe he was dressed in white garbs with light blue linings and the cross which were the signature of his people in the same way that black and silver are for the Warlocks.

The other was a shinigami with an even stranger appearance than the young Quincy's his face was completely painted over with the inner most parts painted black and his cheeks painted white. His ears were covered by a pair of strange bronze cones and his head was framed a large hat with two long sections of dark blue cloth which reached all the way down to his chin. But what truly set him apart from the normal shinigami was the long sleeved Haori with the kanji for twelve on the back.

Without speaking both their spiritual pressures began to rise as a bow compromised entirely of spiritual energy formed in Uryu's right hand and Mayuri drew his sword with a bored and annoyed expression. Gathered around were the very exhausted Shinigami, Vaizards and one Arrancar watching over them.

"Rip…" Mayuri commanded softly "…Ashisogi Jizo!" his sword turned into a three pronged, golden trident with a baby faced hilt.

"_That thing again"_ Uryu thought as he recalled their last encounter as he unleashed three arrows towards Mayuri.

"_What the Hell is Nemu doing?"_ Mayuri asked himself as the arrows raced ever closer to him yet his 'daughter' hadn't moved an inch _"I'll have to deal with her later!"_

Mayuri swung his sword horizontally deflecting Uryu's attacks before thrusting his blade towards his enemy's left shoulder intending to force him into pouring his energy into Ransotengai. With the tip of his sword mere inches from the boy's flesh, Uryu vanished at the last moment he used Hirenkyaku to dodge. Clenching his teeth Mayuri spun around and raised his sword in a defense stance as Uryu swung a Seele Schneider down vertically with his left hand.

Mayuri watched in frustration as his own spiritual energy was absorbed from his weapon and into Seele Schneider's blade. Not wanting to let Uryu suck him dry, Mayuri leapt back a couple dozen yards and to his surprise. Uryu also leapt back as he raised the Seele Schneider in preparation to fire before sending it racing towards the mad scientist, this attack was covered by a volley of over a dozen arrows made out of pure energy.

Pulling one of the cones covering his ear, Mayuri revealed a scythe which was attached to his head and threw it towards the Seele Schneider but the energy arrows deflected it. Left with no choice, Mayuri used a quick shunpo to dodge the attacks.

"_His attacks have nowhere near the power they had the last time we fought…"_ Mayuri noted as he recalled Uryu's power when he used the Quincy's final form and devastated him _"…the problem is that at a distance he still has me outmatched, to make matters worse if I get to close he'll absorb my energy through that accursed arrow of his…"_ he bent backwards to avoid another barrage _"…and worst of all, due to his ability to absorb Reishi; his spirit energy is virtually limitless so I can't hope to just wear him down."_

"_You're not getting away this time!"_ Uryu thought as a large amount of energy began to focus intently over his left shoulder and he leapt into the air right above the sadistic shinigami "Licht Regen!" a constant barrage of arrow rained down upon the Captain of Squad Twelve encompassing an area of at least fifteen feet in diameter, even the fastest and most experienced eyes among the shinigami Captains were unable to track count them all.

When the attacks finally ceased and Uryu landed, Mayuri's spiritual pressure violently shot up blowing the dust away revealing the Captain of Squad Twelve covered in small injuries and shredded garments "I suppose that I should be grateful that the power of those individual arrows isn't anything special and that I've altered my body to be more resistant to damage…" he clenched his teeth furiously "…but you've still made the mistake of making me mad!"

"_I'm going to do a lot worse to you before this is over"_ Uryu thought calmly as Mayuri ceased glowing and his spiritual pressure stabilized signaling the calm before the storm.

"Bankai: Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo!" Mayuri cried as a giant caterpillar like creature with a giant golden baby's head emerged from the ground and let out a loud roar before racing towards Uryu.

"_That thing is an abomination"_ Uryu thought in disgust as approximately a dozen blades emerged from the Bankai's front "too slow" he easily dodged with Hirenkyaku causing it to crash face first into the ground.

"That maybe" Mayuri stated in amusement as his Bankai dug its head out of the ground "but surely you haven't forgotten about the poison gas!" the horrifying creature opened its mouth as it turned its gave towards the ground and spewed forth a thick cloud of dark purple gas completely hiding the Quincy from view.

"Uryu!" Ichigo called out as he prepared to rush in after him but was stopped when Rukia grabbed his shoulder.

"Idiot, get behind me!" Rukia ordered as she and Byakuya got in front of the orange haired teen while the gas made its way closer and closer to the spectators.

"Shuhei, on me!" Elaina commanded as she stood next to Rukia and Youmei walked up to Byakuya.

"I'll help" Alexander offered as he tried to rush to their aid but a sharp pain in his ribs stopped him.

"No you won't stay down" Retsu instructed as she and her subordinates went to join their comrades along with Shunsui.

"Alright everyone, don't let it anywhere near us!" Toushirou ordered as they all extended their right hands and chanted "Hadou 48: Tenran!" the resulting hurricanes generated by the shinigami succeeded in blowing away the poisonous gas "Teacher, do it!"

"Right" Alexander replied as he extended his right hand towards where Mayuri stood and his marks appeared over his body "say good night!" he clenched his hand shut expecting Mayuri's chest to explode but to his shock nothing happened "what the Hell?" his hair turned blonde after expending the small amount of spirit energy that Retsu had given him earlier.

"Don't insult me" Mayuri said calmly "I removed that little crystal of yours a long time ago" he shrugged his shoulders "truth be told your method of merging souls with object is no different than how Kisuke Urahara attached the Hogyoku to that Rukia girl's soul!"

"Damn" Elaina swore as the gas began to approach them again and she felt her body growing heavier from how much energy she had expended and judging by the expressions of her fellow soldiers, she wasn't alone.

"This freak is starting to really piss me off" Toushirou sighed angrily as he took a step forward and swung Hyourinmaru creating a large wall of ice shielding him and his friends "Kurosaki!" he called out to the orange haired teen "your friend better get his act together if he doesn't want me to step in!"

"But Uryu was just…" Ichigo began but was cut off when he suddenly sensed his friend's spiritual pressure.

Mayuri looked over his shoulder to see Uryu appear behind him wearing a white mask over his jaw with the Quincy cross covering the entire surface before firing a second Scheele Schneider at the freakish Captain. Who dodged with a well timed Shunpo.

"I learn from my experiences Kurotsuchi!" Uryu hissed through the mask "this mask filters out any toxins from the air, your gas is worthless" much to Uryu's surprise Mayuri didn't seemed the least bit shocked at this development.

"Did you really think that would be enough to save you?" Mayuri asked with a maniacal grin across his face "surely you haven't forgotten about the bacteria I left in your body from our first encounter?" Uryu glared at the man with an angry expression "so I know all about that mask of yours, I also know about that pendant you're wearing under your shirt which keeps the poison gas from being absorbed through your skin" he let out a slight chuckle as his Bankai began to glow a light shade of green "and have already developed a way around them both!"

A loud screeching noise filled the air as Mayuri's Bankai slowly opened. Uryu had to force himself not to throw up when it unhinged its bottom jaw to open even wider than what should have been possible. As soon as it was done opening, a soft buzzing noise could be heard coming from within; a sound which was getting louder by the second.

"Oh no!" Uryu gasped in shock as countless winged insect like creatures the size of his palm with syringe like noses emerged from Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo's body and immediately began to fly straight towards the quincy.

Uryu quickly fired a barrage of arrows into the coming swarm of insects causing hundreds of the bugs to literally explode into a green goo. When the first wave was just about to sting the young quincy he vanished using Hirenkyaku and appearing right in front of Mayuri's bankai of all places.

"_I have to stop this thing from releasing any more of those damn insects" _Uryu thought as he prepared to fire a barrage of arrows into the beast's mouth, however it quickly shut its mouth and began to rush towards him with the intent of running him through with its blades "damn it!"

"Did you really think I would make it so easy for you?" Mayuri asked in an amused tone of voice.

Uryu fired a single arrow at the Bankai's head only for it to disperse without causing any real damage. Realizing that he had no choice, Uryu pulled out his second Seele Schneider and charged it up before releasing it; just as Uryu had hoped the special arrow easily punched a hole through Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo's head before exiting through its tail moments later. However his small success was quickly forgotten when suddenly more insects began to emerge from the holes his arrow had just created.

"You idiot" Mayuri chuckled "you've insured now that they'll always have a way out now!" his Bankai opened its mouth again releasing a perpetual flood of insects.

Uryu's face contorted in frustration as he began to fire his Ginrei Kojaku at its full rate of one thousand two hundred shots per second and turned his waist effectively spraying the skies filled with the venomous insects with arrows. Unfortunately for the young quincy; for every insect he destroyed, two or three more seemed to take its place.

Focusing intently Uryu quickly drew and fired his third Seele Schneider blasting a large hole through the perpetual wall of insects thought it was quickly filled by their kin. Uryu gritted his teeth as the dome of insects surrounding him drew closer and closer, he could see Mayuri grinning sadistically as he fired his fourth Seele Schneider.

"_Just one more!"_ Uryu thought just before he froze in place.

No sooner had Uryu finished his thought when he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder, turning his head Uryu saw one of the venomous insects was on his back with its syringe like nose dug into his right shoulder blade. Before he knew it Uryu was screaming in pain as the poison seemed to light his arm on fire causing him to dispel his bow ad his ability to concentrate was thoroughly obliterated. Within moments a second bug had grabbed onto his left leg and pumped its venom directly into the young man's thigh causing him to collapse to the ground.

The rest of the insect horde looked as if they were about to swoon in and finish the poor boy off but where stopped when they heard Mayuri call out "that'll do!" the murderous insects cleared a path for their master to walk through "you've lost quincy…" Uryu glared daggers at the man "…as I speak the poison is quickly spreading through your body; such a pity, and you were a true specimen of your people."

"Damn…you…" Uryu swore through gritted teeth.

"_Quincy…"_ Nemu thought as she looked upon Uryu's crumbled form and she noticed her arms twitching.

"Tell you what boy" Mayuri continued as he reached into his robes and pulled out a vial with a strange purple liquid "this is the antidote to the poison I've injected you with, I'm willing to give it to you…" Mayuri was grinning so widely that his teeth were showing "…on the condition that you become my next subject…"

"Go to Hell" Uryu cursed.

"Fine, fine" Mayuri replied as he dropped the vial so that it shattered mere inches away from Uryu's face "then stay there and let your organs turn to mush, such a shame…" he raised his sword so that the tip was mere centimeters away from the boy's forehead "…such a first rate quincy, you were even able to position four out of five of those special arrows of yours…" Uryu glared at him furiously with murderous intent "…did you think I wouldn't notice, after all I've learned all your tricks as soon as you've used them…"

Mayuri's boast was cut off when he sensed a familiar presence approaching from behind. He turned his head to see Nemu running towards them at full speed. Before Mayuri could ask what she was up to, Nemu dashed passed him and quickly scooped the quincy up in her arms before leaping forward to put some distance between her and her father.

"Nemu, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Mayuri demanded.

"_This is bad"_ Nemu thought to herself as she felt Uryu's forehead and saw how much he was sweating _"the poison's already spread…at this rate…"_ Nemu gulped slightly _"…only one choice…"_

"What…are…you doing?" Uryu asked weakly as Nemu laid him down gently before reaching up to her neck with both hands.

"Nemu don't you dare!" Mayuri demanded visibly furious as his daughter grabbed hold of the red choker she wore around her neck.

Nemu smiled softly as she ripped the simple red band off her neck causing her spiritual pressure to rise dramatically "for you…Quincy…"

*Flashback*

"Thanks for the antidote…" Uryu said gratefully as he placed the bottle down in front of the violet haired Lieutenant "…farewell" he headed off in his group's desperate bid to save Rukia.

"_Why?"_ Nemu asked herself as she thought back to how she had grabbed onto him so that her father could slash him _"why is he so kind?"_ she asked herself again when she recalled the heated words he had directed at Mayuri in spite of the severity of his own predicament.

A few days later as the quincy and his fellow ryouka prepared to depart for their world, Nemu watched silently from a distance so as not to be seen by him. Her eyes were alit with curiosity, but also a smidge of confusion and fear.

"_What am I doing here?"_ Nemu wondered as she watched the Senkaimon vanish without a trace _"I suppose I should get back to Master Mayuri…"_

"Am I too late to see them off?" Rangiku asked shocking Nemu out of her thoughts.

"Oh sorry…" Nemu replied as she regained her composure "…the former ryouka have just left Lieutenant Matsumoto…"

"Oh" Rangiku whined "and I was really starting to like that Orihime girl…such a shame…"

"…I'm sorry to hear that" Nemu stated not really knowing what to do in this situation.

"I must say I'm surprise to see you came" Rangiku added "I thought for sure you'd be tied down with work."

"I see" Nemu replied "that does sound like me."

"Were you watching them from here?" Rangiku inquired and Nemu nodded "huh, doesn't seem like you'd be able to get a good view from here…unless…" Rangiku grinned as she turned towards Nemu with a wide grin across her face "…you didn't want to be seen."

"Beg your pardon?" Nemu asked not knowing what to make of the woman's strange behavior.

"Any chance you've grown fond of one those kids?" Rangiku elaborated with a devilish glint in her eyes, Nemu was at a loss for words "so which one is it? That substitute shinigami Ichigo? That big guy who hardly talks? No wait…" her lips parted slightly showing her teeth "…that guy with the glasses who's really good at sewing; I forgot that the two of you ran into each other…"

"…I…don't know what to say" Nemu stated dumbfounded as she tried to process what Rangiku had just said to her.

"Don't worry, just make sure to let me know when you realized I was right" Rangiku jested in amusement, taking note of the blush which had dyed the usually stoic girl's cheeks red "best of luck to you" she then turned in the direction of her favorite bar in all the Seireitei for a night of drinking and laughter to try and ease the pain of the recent incidents.

"…_she thinks I'm in love with the quincy?"_ Nemu thought to herself as she tried to understand how her fellow Lieutenant's mind operated and came to such a conclusion _"Could she be right?"_

Months later she felt her heart sink when she saw the condition that the eighth Espada had left the kind young quincy in after their battle. Later she found herself consumed with gloom when Aizen had insinuated that she was just like her father, the man whom the quincy hated.

And mere minutes before she felt her stomach sink and her heart turn to lead as she watched Uryu being poisoned by Mayuri's insects. In those seconds she had come to realize that for the first time in her existence, what she wanted most was not whatever pleased Mayuri, rather she wanted the quincy to live. For that she was prepared to throw away everything.

*End Flashback*

"_Even though we met as enemies…and even after you learned about what he had done to your grandfather…"_ Nemu thought as what remained of her choker vanished and a thin katana with a green handle and warped guard formed just above her left hip _"…you were so kind to me…like no one before you ever has…"_

"What has gotten into you Nemu?" Mayuri demanded.

"_What the hell is going on with her spiritual pressure and why did a Zanpakutou suddenly appear when she removed that choker?" _Uryu asked himself in disbelief.

"It'll be alright Quincy" Nemu stated calmly as she knelt down to Uryu with her sword drawn "I won't let you die…" Uryu could only look at her in confusion "…concoct Yakuzaishi (chemist)."

The katana liquefied at its master's command forming a dark violet over Nemu's left hand with what appeared to be a small dark red panel of glass over the back of her hand. At her wrist was a series of jet black wires which ran up the length of her to a pack of three large glass cylinders on her back; the one behind her left shoulder was filled a third of the way with a dark violet liquid, the one behind her right arm was filled to the same level with a bright orange liquid, and the one in the middle had a dark green fluid. From there ran a series of tubes along the length of her right arm to a silver colored syringe in her hand.

Without saying a word Nemu quickly clamped her left hand over Uryu's right shoulder where the first insect had stung him and the glass over the back of her hand began to glow. Within moments the strange liquids began to churn in the tubes she carried on her back.

"_Thank goodness, I'm not too later…" _Nemu thought in relief as she analyzed the poison's component through her Zanpakutou "…forgive me Quincy…" from the tubes Uryu could see a lime green concoction being pumped towards the syringe in her right arm "…this is going to hurt…" not giving the confused quincy time to react quickly inserted the needle of her syringe into Uryu's right shoulder and injected him with her sword's strange products.

Uryu let out a loud shriek as the strange substance seemed to set his body aflame. He was so distracted by the pain that he hardly noticed when she removed the needle only to stick it in his left thigh. When Nemu removed the instrument, Uryu collapsed on the ground shaking in pain.

"What have you done Nemu?" Mayuri asked, his tone seething of rage at his daughter's actions "when did I give you permission to remove your choker or use your Zanpakutou to create an antidote?" his eyes were wide open as he neared his daughter and the shivering quincy "well? Answer me!"

"I…I didn't want him to die" Nemu answered softly as she felt him draw closer and closer "that's all there is to it…"

"I hope you're ready for the consequences!" Mayuri hissed as he reached out with his left hand intending to grab her from the back of the neck, much to his surprise though his daughter quickly spun around and swung Uryu's final Seele Schneider at him forcing the Captain to leap backwards "how dare you!"

"I won't let you hurt him…" Nemu stated softly yet firmly "…even if it means dying, father."

"Oh…I'm not going to kill you" Mayuri replied as his Bankai suddenly rushed in from the sides "but I **will** make you wish I had never created you!"

Thinking quickly, Nemu scooped up the still unconscious Uryu in her left arm and vanished with a shunpo. Once she had created some distance between her and her father's bankai she laid him on the ground gently before running away to draw the attacks away from the young quincy, the fifth Seele Schneider still in her hand.

"_Normally whenever I unleash my Zanpakutou in combat I use my speed and strength to get in close and inject my opponent with a poison or sedative depending on if I want them dead or alive…" _Nemu thought as Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo approached her from her side _"…but since the Captain's body is made out of the same substance as mine that won't work…"_ the monstrous Bankai attempted to pin Nemu to the ground by slamming its head down on top of her, fortunately the young Lieutenant dodge by leaping into the air and landing on top of its head.

"_Damn, she's determined"_ Mayuri swore in his mind as he witnessed his daughter using the agility that **he** had given to her to defy him _"no matter!"_

"…_the good news is that means his poisons won't work on me either…"_ Nemu continued in her mind as she ignored the insect which had just injected her with the same poison she had just saved Uryu from while she swung the Seele Schneider like a sword cutting into the Bankai's head before dashing forward to its tail end _"…this arrow that the quincy uses gets stronger as it absorbs more and more reishi…"_ she continued to slash at its caterpillar like body _"…so my best chance is to let this absorb as much reishi as possible to make up for the power difference between us." _

As Nemu made it closer and closer to the end of her father's bankai, she noticed that the arrow in her hand was not only cutting deeper into the gigantic weapon, but it was also becoming easier; almost as if the Bankai was made of paper as opposed to a thick membrane which was several times tougher than steel. When she reached the end she attempted to spin around one hundred and eighty degrees to repeat her strategy of slashing up Mayuri's bankai to increase her offensive power. Unfortunately as soon as she reached the end the tail lashed out suddenly throwing her off.

"Smart move trying to take advantage of my bankai's size and that arrow's properties" Mayuri stated as his bankai faded and his sword reverted to his shikai state "too bad for you I'm not foolish enough to fall for that" he held his trident like weapon out in front of her "this however will work just fine!"

Mayuri leapt towards Nemu and swung his sword horizontally forcing her to duck to avoid being slashed across her chest. The Lieutenant of Squad Twelve attempted to counter attack by swinging Seele Schneider upwards to slash his torso; however Mayuri dodged the attack by stepping backwards.

"_I have to finish this quickly"_ Nemu thought in alarm as her body began to feel heavy and strained _"if I don't…my body will…"_ she leapt towards Mayuri and started swinging Seele Schneider desperately trying to cut him; unfortunately Mayuri proved to be the more capable warrior as he simply sidestepped her attacks.

Nemu continued to attack her father in vain for another twenty or thirty seconds as her body continued to feel worse and worse, until eventually the pain caused her to fall to her knees and cough up a small amount of blood.

"Well that took longer than expected" Mayuri stated as he stood in front of Nemu "it was foolish of you to remove your choker" he pointed towards her neck where the dark red cloth had been "it may have sealed away your Zanpakutou but it also kept all the poisons inside you from attacking your body!" Nemu looked at him weakly "your body may be more resilient than a normal person's, but even you won't last long with all those poisons attacking you at once!" Nemu's eyes drifted to the side "look at me when I'm talking to you girl!" he shoved the tip of Ashisogi Jizo into her left shoulder causing her to let out a high pitched scream as her left arm went numb.

Mayuri quickly received a surprise of his own when Nemu countered by swinging Seele Schneider upwards severing his left arm from his body. Mayuri glared daggers at the girl's audacity as he dug his sword into her right shoulder effectively disabling both arms and causing Seele Schneider to fall to the ground with a loud clank.

"…pity…" Mayuri said quietly those his voice was filled with malice as he kicked Nemu in the chest causing her to fall back "…your Yakuzaishi is a fine piece of scientific research…" he raised his weapon with his one hand "…it'll be troublesome to replace!"

"_As long as the quincy is safe, that's all that matters"_ Nemu thought to herself as Mayuri swung his sword down towards her head having forgotten all about his plans not to kill her in his rage.

Both Kurotsuchis received a sudden shock when a bright blast of energy raced towards them from the distance. Without mercy it struck Mayuri's wrist effectively blowing his hand clean off causing his sword to fall to the ground; at the last moment before impact, Nemu recognized it as a quincy arrow. Before the dust could clear from the attack, Uryu appeared between the two of them and uncharacteristically planted his right fist into the Captain's face knocking him to the ground as he formed his bow and unleashed a volley of arrows into the man who had ruined so many lives in the name of his twisted research.

Nemu could only watch in disbelief when the dust cleared revealing her 'father' pinned to the ground by several energy arrows which had pierced his body. Not wanting to waste the opportunity that Nemu had given him, Uryu quickly wrapped his right arm around her waist as he grabbed the last Seele Schneider with his left hand before vanishing with a weak, but skillful Hirenkyaku.

"Damn, you filthy little quincy!" Mayuri swore furiously.

"It's over…" Uryu said weakly as he nearly dropped Nemu and his last arrow "…without your arms you can't liquefy yourself like you did last time…" Mayuri glared at him from the distance "…and with those arrows holding you down there's no way you can escape…they've had all the time in the world to charge up" Mayuri's eyes shot open when he realized that he hadn't bothered to destroy any of the first Seele Schneiders since he had thought that Uryu was no longer a threat "…thank you…for saving me once again…" he gently laid the young woman on the ground as the thick poisonous gas began to dissipate due to the absence of Mayuri's bankai.

Taking one finale glance towards Mayuri, Uryu recalled all the anger he had felt towards him for what he had done to his grandfather and teacher Soken Ishida _"The quincy's arrows are released in the name of justice. __In other words justice is when you have something that must be protected. There is nothing more difficult than the basics that I have just taught you. From there on, it depends on your heart."_

"_Thank you master"_ Uryu thought to himself as he stabbed the last Seele Schneider in the ground in front of him and thoughts of his friends flashed through his mind _"for teaching me how to protect"_ out of his cloak he pulled out a small silver vial and holding it over the arrow "good bye Mayuri Kurotsuchi…" he poured the Ginto's contents onto the top of the Seele Schneider causing a large pentagon shaped blast to engulf the Captain of Squad twelve.

Tired and drained, Uryu promptly collapsed onto the ground as his Sprenger erased all traces of Mayuri's existence from the world forever. Satisfied that the man responsible for so much suffering had finally been punished, Uryu allowed unconsciousness to take him. The two youths were quickly discovered by their friends as they blew away more and more of the gas using Tenran.

"Uryu!" Ichigo called out as he ran up to his friend.

"Captain Unohana" Toushirou said calmly.

"Understood" Retsu replied as she descended upon the duo and quickly realized that Nemu was in serious danger "please get me Isane and Hanatarou!" she requested as Toushirou nodded in understanding.

When Uryu woke up he found himself lying in a warm futon on wooden floor, cocking his head to the side he saw the familiar face of the Fourth Squad's Captain sitting over him "it's good to see you're awake" she said softly.

"How long was I out?" Uryu inquired.

"About twelve hours" Retsu answered "it's approximately 5:00 p.m. here in Karakura Town."

"So, this is Mr. Urahara's store" Uryu stated and Retsu nodded "does your Head Captain wish to take action against me for Kurotsuchi?"

"No, he seems to agree with you that he didn't deserve to live" Retsu replied causing Uryu to nod in understanding "you're lucky…" Uryu raised an eyebrow at her curiously "…thanks to Lieutenant Kurotsuchi the poison wasn't able to cause any permanent harm to your body."

"Where is she? How is she?" Uryu asked concerned for her well being.

"It took several hours and we nearly lost her numerous times" Retsu began with a heavy tone of voice "but thanks to Isane and Hanatarou's assistance we were able to neutralize the poisons that Captain Kurotsuchi had left in her body; unfortunately she won't be fit for duty for a few weeks at the very least."

"It's my fault" Uryu stated heavily "if I hadn't let Mayuri poison me she never would have had to remove that choker."

"If that's how you feel, then you should go to her and say 'thank you' when she wakes up" Retsu advised and the young quincy nodded in agreement.

*Outside*

Toushirou stood talking intently with Kisuke, Yoruichi, Tessai, Shinji, and Elaina; listing in closely was Jinta, Ururu, Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, and Chad.

"We plan to leave in the morning, I thank you for your assistance" Toushirou explained to the former Captain of Squad Twelve.

"Don't mention it" Kisuke replied before he looked the young Head Captain in the eye intently "so tell me, what do you plan to do about the Hogyoku?"

"I'm still trying to find an answer to that" Toushirou answered with a heavy sigh "about a month ago, me and my teacher took it out to a desert east of Rukongai and struck it with our most powerful attacks; when we dug it out of the sand and stone we found it didn't have a scratch on it."

"What about banishing it to another dimension?" Yoruichi suggested "you know like you did with the King's Seal?"

"Elaina" Toushirou requested as the Captain of Squad Nine extended her bandage covered right arm and created a small vortex of black energy on the ground "ready for show and tell."

Toushirou gently dropped the Hogyoku into the abyss but instead of fading into the darkness, it simply floated on its surface refusing to be banished to an empty void.

"Truly a troublesome creation boss" Tessai stated as Toushirou picked the Hogyoku back up.

"Indeed" Kisuke sighed.

"Excuse me, Mr. Urahara, Toushirou" Orihime called out to the shinigami with a determined look in her eyes "I have an idea."

*Nearby*

"So it's true, you're the Prince who died in the battle for Washington a hundred years ago" a young male warlock of about fifteen stated as he and his kin focused their gaze on the Captain of Squad Five.

"That's correct" Alexander replied.

"This is an honor, to meet such a legend of our people" the young man said in amazement and his fellow warlocks nodded.

"I'm flattered but there's not much to admire" Alexander chuckled in response.

"But sir if not for you, our clan would have effectively destroyed everything they're meant to stand for" the young man retorted "you saved the soul of our clan that day."

"Don't oversell me, if there hadn't been others who were willing to fight with me I would have been dead in under a minute" Alexander explained.

"Please your majesty, come back to us" a teenage girl amongst them requested "the world is once again on the brink of destruction; we need you…"

"I'm afraid I must decline" Alexander stated.

"But sir…" the boy tried to beg but was cut off.

"I died over one hundred years ago; I have no right to dictate the affairs of this world anymore" Alexander explained calmly "that duty falls to you, the living to carry out to the best of your ability."

"…you say that my lord but…" the girl began "…the whole world seems to have gone madder than it's ever been...we're like rats caught in a wheel of violence and hatred, we need strong leaders like yourself now more than ever…"

"Young lady…" Alexander replied softly "…you fail to realize that I **failed** when I tried to bring peace and order to this world…" the two youths looked down heavily as he spoke "…that said…" they looked up at him hopefully "…for all the failures of my generation, I like to think that we did move the world forward an inch at least…when we handed the reins over to the next generation they moved it forward another inch."

"Your majesty?" the boy responded in curiosity.

"There has been no shortage of setbacks and false starts" Alexander continued "but as I've watched the years go by this world has advanced slowly, but surely" he placed his hands gently on the youths' shoulders "and so long as this trend continues I believe that the day will come when war is finally purged from this world."

"But what hope do we have?" the young woman asked.

"As long as there are men and women of character like yourselves there is **always** hope" Alexander answered softly as he turned his gaze to the entire group of warlocks "this world no longer needs royals…I dare say it no longer needs gods…all it needs are people willing to step up to do what is right; I can tell just by looking at you, it already has that" he saluted his people one last time.

"What about you?" the young man inquired.

"I have my duties to the Fifth Squad and the Soul Society now" Alexander answered calmly "when your time on this earth comes to an end…I hope you'll consider signing up, or if you want you could enlist in Squad Nine, their Captain is far greater than I."

"Before you go your majesty…" the woman called out one final time "…shortly after the new year's battle our discovered a journal in the lab where your father had…" she gave a pause having trouble saying what her people had done "…in it he had detailed his mindset over a twenty year period and we learned that…"

"…he didn't try to take over the world for his own gains" Alexander finished for her surprising the woman "one of the Soul Society's princes had an artifact which allowed him to bring my father back to this plane, we fought and I ultimately learned the truth…" he let out a heavy sigh "…in the end we made peace and I feel that he redeemed himself" the gathered warlocks were shocked into silence "never lose hope my friends, without it you'll revert to your base instincts and fall as my family had; and never, ever forsake kindness…" he smiled softly to his people "…in time, the ripples from a single small act of kindness can grow and become great waves of peace and reformation; believe in the promise of tomorrow" the gathered warlocks could only sit in quiet contemplation as their prince took his leave.

*Back with Toushirou's group*

"You're telling me that you believe, your powers can destroy the Hogyoku?" Toushirou asked of the young woman whose home he had used as a base of operation only months before.

"Not destroy, so much as erase its existence" Orihime replied confusing the Head Captain along with Elaina, Ichigo, Rukia, Chad, Jinta, and Ururu "I don't have the power to 'heal' people" she explained as she thought back to the day she was brought in front of Aizen "my Soten Kisshun returns an object or person back to how they were before they were damaged or injured, in other words I reject the event which harmed them."

"Wait a minute, you can 'reject' events that have already happened?" Elaina asked of the young girl who nodded in confirmation "if what you say is true then your power steps into God's territory."

"But with my power I can reject the creation of the Hogyoku" Orihime explained "I can make it so that it never existed."

"Is this true Urahara?" Toushirou inquired of the blonde man.

"It is, Orihime's powers are not your standard barriers and healing abilities" Kisuke replied as he ran his hand through his hair "her Soten Kisshun as she just said has the ability to reject events that have already occurred, and her Santen Kesshun has the power to reject negative events as they happen" he turned an unusually heavy glance at the young woman "theoretically speaking she could destroy the Hogyoku."

"Then let her do it" Ichigo stated "if it's that simple, you should have brought this up the moment we took it from Aizen!"

"I get the feeling that it's **not** that simple" Toushirou said calmly to the older man who simply nodded "care to enlighten me?"

"I have two concerns with letting Orihime attempt this" Kisuke sighed heavily "the first is the sheer age of the Hogyoku; for Orihime to unmake it, she'll have to take it back to the way it was over a century ago" he held his hand out in a gesture requesting his creation, after a moment's hesitation Toushirou handed it over before Kisuke held it up for all to see "the second concern is just the fact that the Hogyoku is by its very nature an unpredictable substance" the small stone like object radiated power in spite of its age and the numerous attempts to destroy it thus far "the honest truth is I can't guarantee if even Orihime's power has what it takes, and even if it does I can't guarantee there won't be any risks."

"So that's why you didn't bring this up" Elaina stated and Kisuke nodded "is that why you tried to keep her off the battlefield."

"I was trying to keep her powers hidden away from Aizen, I didn't want to expose a fifteen year old girl to that kind of danger if I could avoid it" Kisuke explained _"those days are long past me now…"_

"But it **is** possible that I'm the only one who can do this right?" Orihime inquired.

"Yes but its too dangerous" Kisuke answered.

"I agree" Toushirou voiced his opinion "it'll stay with me in the meantime, if we can't figure out another way then we'll just have to seal it and lock it away somewhere" he held out his hand to take the Hogyoku back.

"I'm truly sorry for all the trouble my creation has caused" Kisuke said remorsefully as he prepared to give the Hogyoku back to Toushirou.

Just after he released the small stone from his grip a slender hand swooped in underneath and snatched the Hogyoku before it could land in Toushirou's palm. Both men turned their glances towards the red haired woman.

"I'm sorry" Orihime said softly as her hair clips shined a light orange before she chanted "Santen Kesshun!" she waved her left hand around creating a spherical barrier separating her from everyone else.

"Orihime, what the Hell are you doing?" Rukia demanded.

"Weren't you listening to Kisuke and Toushirou?" Ichigo asked in disbelief.

"I'm sorry Ichigo, Rukia" Orihime replied as she unfolded her right hand to expose the Hogyoku "but I have to try."

"But it could be dangerous!" Ichigo stated furiously as he tried to bust through her barrier but to no avail.

"Because of this thing, Aizen hurt you both" Orihime said calmly to Ichigo and Rukia "and not just you, everyone else here has suffered because Aizen sought the Hogyoku; nothing but pain and misery has come of its existence."

"Damn it, no good!" Elaina swore as she tried to open an inter-dimensional tunnel inside of Orihime's dome but failed "she really can reject events!"

"I'm sorry to go against your wishes…" Orihime said in a sad tone of voice as she gripped her left fist tightly "…but I have to try!" two more pegs of her hairpins lit up "Soten Kisshun!" the tiny orb was surrounded in a second smaller barrier.

"Shit, I was careless" Toushirou swore through gritted teeth as he felt the young woman's spiritual pressure begin to build up, out of the corner of his eye he could see that her power was beginning to effect the grounds around her "Elaina, Rukia, help me raise a barrier; we need to minimize any spill over effects."

"Sir" Elaina replied .

"But Head Captain, what about Orihime?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah you little bastard, what about my friend?" Ichigo spat out.

"Listen, if I could stop her from doing this, I would in a heartbeat" Toushirou stated calmly "but the fact of the matter is that I **can't** and as Head Captain it is my duty to do everything in my power to make sure no harm comes to the World of the Living because of someone's spiritual powers!"

"He's telling the truth Ichigo" Kisuke added as he turned his gaze towards the silver haired youth "please let me and Tessai help out, we'll make sure that not even a single ant is harmed" Toushirou nodded as the blonde and his assistant joined the three shinigami to erect a barrier to contain the energy being released by the young woman.

About thirty seconds later, Orihime's hair was standing on end to the updraft created by the amount of spirit energy she was pouring into her power. As the ordeal dragged on she found it more and more difficult to stand or to even breathe.

"Orihime please stop this!" Ichigo begged.

"I'm alright Ichigo" Orihime assured her friend with a gentle smile but as soon as the words left her mouth a small amount of blood shot out from her left forearm "don't worry about me" suddenly a small crack began to form in the Hogyoku and the energy being released intensified a hundred fold "it's working…" she said through gritted teeth as both the former and current shinigami watched in shock "…I'm almost there…" several small cuts appeared over the young woman's arms and legs and several more cracks appeared in the Hogyoku "…now…" memories of all the pain and destruction that had been caused by the small stone in her hands as she struggled to keep eyes open in face of the gale force winds "…disappear!" as she finished her sentence the Hogyoku immediately shattered into dust as if obeying the command of deity.

"She…really did it…" Ichigo stated in disbelief as he shielded his face from the resulting flash of light.

"Unbelievable" Toushirou said as the light finally died down and the shinigami were able to let down their barrier _"good thing we were here to contain that, as much power as she released could have destroyed a city block or two."_

When the dust finally cleared Ichigo looked on in horror to see Orihime Inoue lying on the ground unconscious "Orihime!" Ichigo called out as he ran up to her and cradled her in his arms "wake up" he shook her gently.

"Dumbass, don't shake an injured person!" Elaina spat at the substitute shinigami as she knelt down in front of Orihime and placed her hands over the young girl "I swear if I don't run dry by the end of the night, it'll be a miracle!" her hands began to glow a soft shade of green.

"Let me help you Captain Dark-Heart" Rukia called out as her hands began to glow as green as well.

"Thanks…" Elaina let out a small sigh as she began to assess the young human's condition "…you can relax Kurosaki, these wounds are not life threatening…"

"Thank goodness" Ichigo sighed in relief.

"…she's not going to die, but these symptoms…" Elaina continued which drew Ichigo's attention "…shit!" she swore angrily "there's nothing I can do about that!"

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo demanded "is she going to be alright?"

Orihime cracked her eyes open to the sight of Kisuke and his crew looking down upon her "hello Mr. Urahara, Ms. Yoruichi…" she glanced around trying to see the others who had witnessed her latest actions only to see emptiness "where is Ichigo and the others?"

"I see" Kisuke stated calmly as the result of Orihime's choice.

"What are you talking about Orihime, we're all right here!" Ichigo called out as he shook the girl gently shocking her as she saw nothing holding her up "are you alright?" his barrage of questions was brought to a halt as Elaina and Rukia karate chopped him on the head causing him to fall forward and on top of his classmate.

"What's going on?" Orihime asked in bewilderment.

"I said 'don't shake an injured person' you stupid bastard" Elaina swore in frustration.

"Elaina what's going on? Why can't she see us?" Toushirou asked.

"I'll get you all some gigais, along with Mr. Kurosaki's body" Tessai said politely as he headed for the store's storage shed.

"I think it'd be best to wait on those gigais" Elaina informed her Head Captain "it'd be best for me to be able to explain this to her directly.

Moments later Tessai appeared out of seemingly nowhere carrying Ichigo's body along with what appeared to be a pair of female mannequins and one male mannequin dressed in simple pairs of jeans and plain white tee-shirts. Within moments the three shinigami had entered their false bodies causing them to take on their hair and eye color, as well as their skin tones. In the meantime Ichigo reentered his own body. Orihime smiled softly now that she could see her friends clearly.

"So, you care to explain what happened?" Ichigo asked in a much calmer tone of voice now that he could confirm that Orihime at least was alright.

"Before I go into that I should inform Ms. Inoue of a little something" Elaina stated as she turned her gaze towards the young woman "technically what I'm about to discuss falls under the Soul Society's equivalent of Doctor-Patient confidentiality, are you alright with sharing this information with these people?"

"Oh sure, no problem" Orihime replied.

"What happened to her Elaina?" Toushirou inquired.

"Let me see if I can phrase this in a way that everyone here can understand" Elaina said calmly as she tried to think of how to explain it "alright, this is sticking to basics but it gets the concept across at least" she looked towards Orihime "you know how your vascular system is basically a network of arteries and veins which delivers blood to every cell in your body right?" Orihime nodded in understanding "well, there's also a network of vessels which circulate spirit energy throughout the body which we call the 'spirit network' out of lack of better term for it; unfortunately, all the energy you released just now was far beyond what your physical body was capable of handling and has effectively wrecked this network…"

"_I don't like the sounds of this"_ Ichigo thought to himself.

"…the good news for you is that this is **not** life threatening" Elaina continued "the bad news however is that after damaging it to such an extent…" she took a deep breath before placing her right hand over the girl's shoulder "…you'll never be able to use spiritual powers again" her words shocked the young woman along with Chad and Ichigo.

"Is there nothing you can do for her?" Ichigo asked in disbelief.

"No, it would be like trying to heal someone who's been stabbed through the heart" Elaina explained "it just isn't possible."

"Is…is the Hogyoku gone at least?" Orihime inquired.

"There's no trace of it left" Toushirou answered "you really did it."

"Then that's alright" Orihime chuckled slightly.

"What are you talking about Orihime? You just lost all your powers" Ichigo asked in confusion.

"That maybe, but it's nothing compared to what others have given up in recent months" Orihime replied as a soft smile spread across her lips "compared to what your father, and many of the shinigami lost, my powers were small price to pay."

"Orihime" Chad said softly.

"Forgive me Ichigo" Toushirou sighed heavily "I should of known she'd try this."

"Toushirou, you're planning to leave for the Soul Society tomorrow right?" Ichigo inquired as he stood up and helped Orihime do the same.

"Yes, I have many issues to contend with when I get back" Toushirou answered "the most pressing being to fill the empty Captain and Lieutenant Seats."

"I see, do you mind coming with me to my house?" Ichigo asked "I've got some things I want to talk to you about?"

"After all you've done" Toushirou replied "of course" he turned to the Captain of Squad Nine "please tell the others where I'm going, and please make sure Rangiku and Zaraki don't do anything too crazy while I'm gone" Elaina nodded in understanding as he left with Ichigo and Rukia.

*90 minutes later*

Ichigo and Rukia had introduced Toushirou to Karin and Yuzu Kurosaki before fully explaining the letter that their late father had left them. The brown haired girl, Yuzu was quickly sobbing uncontrollably into her hands while her raven haired sister simply sat frozen in shock with a thin trail of tears trailing from her eyes. Ichigo himself sat in between his sisters in an attempt to comfort them. In the corner seat sat Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck who seemed to bow her head slightly in respect.

"This may not mean much coming from me" Toushirou said calmly as he sat across from the siblings with Rukia to his right "but your father was a very brave and selfless man, you should be proud of him."

"Karin, Yuzu, why don't you two get some sleep?" Ichigo suggested to his grieving siblings as he lead them up to their room "I appreciate your time."

"So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Toushirou asked curiously.

"Back at the castle, I killed a man" Ichigo stated as he looked at his own two hand half expecting them to be covered in blood "with one Getsuga Tenshou I cut his head clean off his shoulders…"

"Was that the first time you've ever killed someone?" Toushirou inquired and Ichigo nodded "I think I understand to an extent, you feel guilty about it don't you?"

"Yeah…was it like this for you after you were forced to kill Kusaka?" Ichigo asked.

"I tried to kill myself after what happened in Central Forty Six" Toushirou replied.

"How have you dealt with having to kill people after that?" Ichigo wondered aloud.

"Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view" Toushirou began as thought about his fights against Gojou, the Arrancar, and most recently the very King of the Soul Society who had all died by his sword "it got easier for me."

"I see" Ichigo replied as he tried to comprehend what Toushirou had told him "I've been thinking…" Toushirou, Rukia, and Nelliel raised an eyebrow in curiosity "…about becoming a full time shinigami."

"Ichigo" Rukia said in surprise at his statement.

"I realize that I won't be able to prevent everyone from dying, but still…" Ichigo continued "…I can't shake this feeling that if I join with you guys I can become stronger and save more lives…"

"Ichigo, listen" Toushirou began in a serious tone of voice "to be perfectly honest I would like to say nothing more than 'welcome to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads' in spite of your hot headedness and your inexperience I believe you would make a great shinigami and at some point a Captain even" Ichigo listened to his perspective superior intently "however I want you to realize a couple things…"

"_Head Captain"_ Rukia thought in slight surprise at the praise he had just spoken of her friend.

"…if you **do** decide to become a full time shinigami that'll mean you can no longer live the life of a normal human; and while I don't mind you returning here to take care of your sisters once you've completed your duties, I will need you in the Soul Society to carry out those duties…" Toushirou continued calmly "…it's not inconceivable that you could go for weeks or even months at a time without being able to return here, especially if you became a Captain."

"I understand" Ichigo replied.

"Secondly I want you to understand that if you do become a full time shinigami, I can more or less guarantee that someday you will be forced to kill again" Toushirou added coldly but honestly "while I'd be grateful to have you, it's only right that I should warn you not to enlist if you can't come to grips with that fact; because shinigami live a lot longer than normal humans…" his thoughts turned to his teacher who until recently had carried around a crushing amount of guilt "…and guilt is a very different beast when you live hundreds of years."

"My dad said as much" Ichigo stated as his thoughts turned his slain father.

"It's a choice you'll have to make for yourself" Toushirou sighed heavily wishing he could do more for the teen "just make sure you think it through first."

"I'll consider it" Ichigo assured the young Head Captain "thanks a lot Toushirou."

"It's the least I can do" Toushirou replied "and that's Head Captain Hitsugaya to you!"

*The next morning*

"Thank you for your help" Toushirou said gratefully to Kisuke as they opened the passage way which lead back to the Soul Society.

"No I should be thanking you" Kisuke replied "it was all because of me that this mess got out of control; I'm thankful to you for helping us make things right again and for clearing our names."

Nearby Uryu was standing next to a wheel chair bound Nemu who's shoulders were wrapped in bandages.

"Thank you for saving me Nemu" Uryu said in gratitude the leader of Squad Twelve "you saved my life."

"It was nothing, Quincy" Nemu replied as she reached under her blankets and pulled out a small box "I have something I was meaning to give to you."

"You know you can call me Uryu" Uryu assured her as he accepted the box and opened it revealing a small pendant in the shape of the Thistle which symbolized Squad Twelve "what is this?"

"That pendant I made, it converts the wearer's spirit energy to more closely match that of a shinigami's allowing them to purge hollows as opposed to just killing them" Nemu explained "I was inspired to make it when I learned of what happened to your people and others because you couldn't cleanse hollows, and when I met you I felt compelled to make it."

"I see…" Uryu replied softly as he gently gripped it "…thank you Nemu, now I can fight without having to worry about endangering reality."

"I'm glad you like it…Uryu…" Nemu said softly with a smile as a small blush colored her cheeks "…when I get back I plan to make some for all those warlocks who helped us…once I'm done with that…would it…be alright for me to come see you every now and then?"

"Sure" Uryu assured the young lieutenant "just focus on getting better first" both the quincy and the shinigami smiled softly at one another.

As they finished their conversation Toushirou's eyes fell upon the covered form of Jyushiro Ukitake who had Shunsui standing silently over him _"time to go home now Captain…"_ Toushirou thought calmly.

*Three days later*

"So the two of you have decided to apply for the open Captain Seats" Toushirou stated as Renji and Rukia stood before him in his office.

"Sir, I may not have fully mastered my Bankai yet, but I believe this is the best way for me to help my Squad" Rukia replied.

"Indeed" Toushirou said in response "Captain Elaina Dark-Heart of Squad Nine seems to think you'd be the best candidate for the job" he turned his focus onto the red haired Lieutenant of Squad Six "and you've already proven yourself to be an excellent officer in your own right."

"Thank you sir" Renji said gratefully.

"Consider these papers filed" Toushirou instructed "the exams will be carried out by the end of next week, prepare yourselves to the best of your abilities."

"Yes sir" the two replied as they made way for the exit.

"That's great news isn't it Toushirou?" Rangiku asked as she stood up from the couch she had been lying on "with Rukia, Squad Thirteen will have a new Captain; where do you plan to put Renji should he pass?"

"Squad Seven" Toushirou answered "he was good friends with Lieutenant Iba, so I think he'll do well there."

"Then that just leaves Squad One and Twelve" Rangiku stated.

"I'm not too worried about Squad Twelve" Toushirou replied "Nemu may still be on sick leave but that Akon guy assures me they'll be able to finish creating that door way they promised me by the middle of next week at the latest."

"Oh you mean that gate to another dimension to allow Ikkaku and Captain Zaraki to beat each other up without wrecking half the city?" Rangiku inquired and Toushirou nodded "yeah I don't think letting those two fight in the Seireitei would be good for your blood pressure."

"And I wonder who I have to thank for high blood pressure?" Toushirou stated more than he asked causing Rangiku to giggle "but I am concerned about Squad One…" his tone became much more serious "…I don't like the idea of leaving of a squad without a captain or lieutenant for too long…I was hoping that you'd…"

"Sorry but I'm not interested" Rangiku answered before Toushirou could even ask the question "too much paper work."

"Rangiku" Toushirou sighed in exhaustion but froze when he felt her wrap her arms around his shoulders.

"Relax, Toushirou" Rangiku chuckled "listen that former Espada decided to join us when Ichigo signed on right?" Toushirou nodded "let her take command of Squad One for now, once Elaina finishes teaching Ichigo about the non combat aspects of a shinigami's duty, then either he or she can become the new Captain."

"There really is no way into getting you to reconsider?" Toushirou asked rhetorically.

"Sorry, but someone has to make sure our new Head Captain doesn't work himself to death" Rangiku said softly as she kissed him on the cheek, moments later Toushirou turned around and pulled her into another deeper kiss.

*Squad Five Main Office*

"Thank you for stopping by Seventh Seat Yamada" Alexander stated as Hanatarou sat in front of his desk.

"No problem sir" Hanatarou replied as he looked around the Captain's office taking note of all the books which filled the shelves, even from where he was sitting Hanatarou could tell that most if not all of them were on the subject of Kidou and its mechanics "Captain Unohana said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Are you familiar with the Kidou Corp. of over a hundred years ago?" Alexander inquired of the younger shinigami.

"Sir, it was a special squad of shinigami who were dedicated to the research of kidou" Hanatarou answered "their work was always of the highest levels of secrecy, however they essentially collapsed over one hundred years ago when they lost both their captain and lieutenant in a single night; why do you ask?"

"I'm planning to recreate the Kidou Corp. as a part of Squad Five, similar to the department of Research and Development is to Squad Twelve" Alexander explained "as is well known, Squad Five has the highest average kidou scores of all the Thirteen Court Guard Squads; my goal is to create a new, less secretive Kidou Corp. dedicated to the development of new spells for shinigami to learn."

"That's very ambitious of you sir" Hanatarou stated "but why are you telling me?"

"The thing is, if I'm going to pull this off, I'm going to need a lieutenant" Alexander answered "preferably someone with a good knowledge of how spirit energy interacts with the body, the kind of knowledge that a skilled healer posses" he placed his right hand over his desk revealing the Lieutenant's Badge of Squad Five.

"Me sir?" Hanatarou inquired in disbelief.

"Retsu tells me that ever since the war with Aizen you've been a different person" Alexander stated "she feels that you need and deserve a higher position than that of a Seventh Seat, and from what she tells me you're just the kind of person I need" he gently pressed his hands together "so what do you say?"

Hanatarou said nothing as he took a few moments to look over the Lieutenant's badge in contemplation. Eventually Hanatarou extended his right arm and gently lifted the badge off of the hard wooden surface.

"What do you require Captain Dark-Heart?" Hanatarou asked a small smile stretching across his face causing the Captain of Squad Five to smile softly as well.

*Two weeks later*

The current leaders of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had gathered in the Captain's Hall. Every Captain and Lieutenant was in attendance, in addition Squad One had their acting Captain Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck representing them, while Elaina had brought her 'pupil' of sorts Ichigo to witness the ceremony, and Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi was accompanied by her second in command Akon in case she need assistance.

"As you all know the past year has been tough on the Thirteen Court Guard Squads" Head Captain Toushirou Hitsugaya stated calmly to his subordinates "we've lost some of our finest in the battles against Aizen and the Royal Family" the gathered officers nodded in acknowledgement of their fallen comrades "which is why I'm proud to announce that two new Captains have been found to help fill the void" his eyes quickly made their way towards the entrance "enter now, Squad Seven Captain Renji Abarai and Squad Thirteen Captain Rukia Kuchki."

The doors slid open revealing the two new Captains; Renji was now wearing a sleeveless white captain's haori while Rukia was wearing a long sleeved haori as the previous captain had. As they walked in between their peers they were met by a barrage of approving smiles. The two had to force themselves not to gasp in shock when they realized that the Captain of Squad Six was looking at them both with a look which very much resembled pride.

"Take your places now" Toushirou instructed.

The two nodded in understanding as Rukia stood towards the end of the line next to Kenpachi whose sheer size easily dwarfed hers almost as much as it did his own Lieutenant's. Renji meanwhile took his place between the Captain Dark-Hearts, both of whom nodded in approval as their Lieutenants did the same.

"So that's two down and two to go" Toushirou stated.

*Ten years later*

A large crowd of nobles had gathered in the old Central Forty Six halls planning to discuss matters with the leaders of the Seireitei in regards to the rebuilding of the Soul Society's government. It had been a decade since Aizen's Coup. and the wealthy aristocrats were eager to try and maneuver their way up to even greater heights of wealth and power.

"They sure are taking their time" the leader of the nobles stated.

"The nerve, keeping us waiting" a noblewoman added.

"Not to mention its more than a little cramped in here" a third noble chimed in.

"Well at least they didn't try forcing us into the main chamber" a fourth joked when suddenly the doors opened and a small parade of very famous individuals entered.

First into the room was the Captain of Squad Ten and the Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, Toushirou Hitsugaya. In the past decade he had grown to approximately six feet in height, his hair now laid flatter on top of his head than it had when he was younger but he still had a very wild look about him. Other than the change in height and hairstyle was a new blue green scarf he was sporting around his neck, a gift from his lieutenant and lover who accompanied him.

Next to enter was a young man who appeared to be in his late teens with short spiky orange hair and brown eyes. He wore a sleeveless white haori signifying his rank while his massive Zanpakutou hid the kanji for one on his back which marked him as the former substitute shinigami and the new leader of Squad One after the death of former Head Captain Yamamoto, Captain Ichigo Kurosaki. Next to him stood a young green haired Arrancar woman who wore a normal set of shinigami robes and a badge signifying her as his second in command, Lieutenant Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.

After them came a pair of female shinigami. The first was a petite woman with raven colored hair which she wore in a pair of long braids in back and short everywhere else, her grey eyes sent out a clear message that she was not to be trifled with even more so than the sleeveless haori on her back which marked her as the Captain of Squad Two and leader of the Stealth Force, Captain Soi Fon.

Accompanying Captain Soi Fon was a young girl who appeared to be in her early to mid teens, who like her Captain had black hair. She had ultimately decided to apply to the shinigami academy despite the fact that it meant giving up her life in the World of the Living much like her brother before her had, though they both made a point to visit their third sibling who now lived with Orihime Inoue whenever they could. After graduating in just one year she managed to impress the stern Captain of Squad Two with her skills in Hakuda along with her natural talents for using projectiles and improvised weapons. So much so that in less than a decade of service she had obtained the rank of lieutenant, she was the Lieutenant of Squad Two, Karin Kurosaki.

The next pair to enter was a woman with short red hair and blue eyes. Her most unusual feature was her haori which was sleeveless over her left arm, but had a long sleeve which covered her right arm completely. Accompanying her Lieutenant who like her had blue eyes but had blonde hair instead of red. One look into either of their eyes spoke that they knew well the meaning of despair which their squad's symbol represents as they were its leaders; Captain Youmei Rammyaku and Lieutenant Izuru Kira.

The next person to enter was a woman with dark blue eyes and long black hair which she used to wear in a braid in front of her but now allowed fall freely down to her waist. This new way of wearing her hair gave her the appearance of a woman in her late twenties or early thirties, and by all accounts she was quite attractive; so much so that many of the nobleman groaned in disappoint at a small sparkling band which she wore around her left ring finger. In addition to the traditional shinigami garbs she wore a long sleeved captain's haori with the kanji for four signifying her rank and squad, and unlike most shinigami she carried her sword around using a string of cloth over her shoulder.

Accompanying her was a tall young woman with purplish hair which she wore in three braids which framed her head. She followed her Captain loyally as she always had, ready to carry out their duties as Captain Retsu Unohana and Lieutenant Isane Koutestu of Squad Four.

After them came a pair of men; the first appeared to be in his late twenties, early thirties with dark green eyes and long black hair which he wore in a thin pony tail at the base of his neck. He wore a sleeveless haori with the kanji for five on his back and just above his left hip rested not one but two Zanpakutou. The one following him was shorter than his captain by about a head, though his hair was shorter it was the same dark black as his superior's. Both of them had a focused gaze which had made them the well known Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Five, Alexander Dark-Heart and Hanatarou Yamada respectively.

Following the leaders of Squad Five came the famous Captain of Squad Six Byakuya Kuchki; in the decade since Aizen's defeat he had stopped wearing the Kensaiken over his bangs, in addition his haori had apparently been customized to the point that it now had a collar in spite of the fact that he never actually closed it. Accompanying him was a young man with short black hair and a tattoo just above his left eye which he wore in admiration for the man who had previously held his position. Even the wealthiest nobles stood in shock and awe at the presence of the leaders of Squad Six, Captain Byakuya Kuchki and his Lieutenant Rikichi.

Immediately after came a pair of red headed male shinigami; one was rather tall with long hair which he wore behind his head giving him a pineapple like appearance, though only the ones on his face were visible, his body was covered in tattoos which were almost as famous as the haori he wore on his back. The second red head was the size of a young boy of about twelve or thirteen years of age, he had joined the Thirteen Court Guard Squads at roughly the same time as Karin claiming he wanted to spread his wings; though his former employer suspected it was because he liked the man who was now his Captain and wanted to see him more often. They were Captain Renji Abarai and Lieutenant Jinta Hanakari of Squad Seven.

Next up was the veteran Captain of Squad Eight dressed in his signature straw hat, sandals without socks, and pink woman's haori. Following closely behind was his glasses wearing lieutenant who seemed to have a scowl glued onto her face. No one gathered there could mistake them for anything other than the famous Captain Shunsui Kyouraku and Lieutenant Nanao Ise.

After a brief pause the gathered nobles saw a young dark skinned woman enter the hall with shoulder length black hair and golden eyes. She had a look in her face which read that she was excited about what was about to transpire though the gathered nobles had no idea what that was. Following directly behind her was a tall young man with short spiky black hair with a scar over his right eye and a distinctive 69 tattoo over his left cheek which many people were often surprised to learn wasn't a sex joke. In spite of the sheer contrast of their appearances, the two gave off an aura of strength and discipline which made Captain Elaina Dark-Heart and Lieutenant Shuhei Hisagi of Squad Nine even deadlier than they were famous.

Following after their Squad Nine counterparts emerged a giant of a man wearing a tattered Captain's Haori which was a veteran in its own right after all the battles it had witnessed. In addition he wore his hair in numerous long spikes with bells attached to the ends along with an eye patch over his right eye while a long scar ran right past his left. In contrast was the little girl with bubble gum pink hair which rode on his back with what appeared to be a permanent smile glued across her face. Truly there was no confusing the infamous and often hilarious leaders of Squad Eleven, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi.

Next came a young woman with long black hair which she wore in a braid behind her with parted bangs in front, she had a pair of light green eyes which rarely showed any emotion in spite of the fact that she was a truly compassionate woman. Her clothing consisted of a simple shinigami uniform, though she had a skirt as opposed to the more formal leggings which most shinigami wore. In addition she had a long sleeved Captain's Haori. Next to her was a tall man with short spiky brown hair and three small horns protruding from his forehead marking him as one of the oddest looking officers in the whole Seireitei. In all the thirteen Court Guard Squads there was likely no stranger duo than the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Twelve, Captain Nemu Ishida and Lieutenant Akon.

Finally came a small petite woman with dark blue eyes and short black hair which she wore in a bob around her head with a single strand lying between her eyes. In addition to her long sleeved haori, she wore a pair of white fingerless gloves just like the ones worn by her adoptive brother. Accompanying her was an even smaller but deceptively strong little girl with black hair which she wore in pigtails with pink ties to the side while a pair of bangs parted just past her nose, her violet eyes portrayed a timid nature but when provoked or scared she could turn into a nigh unstoppable killing machine. They were the leaders of Squad Thirteen, Captain Rukia Kuchki and Lieutenant Ururu Tsumugiya.

"It's nice to see, that you've managed to fill all your vacancies so quickly Head Captain, well done" one of the nobleman offered.

"It's my job" Toushirou replied calmly.

"And you do it well" a second aristocrat said in approval.

"In any case we really should get down to business" a noblewoman suggested "we need to discuss the restoration of the Central Forty Six, Head Captain Hitsugaya…"

"That's **not** going to happen!" Toushirou cut her off shocking the entire aristocracy "it'll be easiest to show you what's going to happen this way" he turned his gaze towards Nemu "Captain Ishida."

"Sir" Nemu replied as she raised her right hand and snapped her fingers causing a swarm of hell butterflies to fly in through the door and landed on the gathered nobles' foreheads.

"There are still some details to iron out" Toushirou began as the small creatures began to show the Soul Society's wealthiest men and women what he had planned "but the main points of this new government are that the duty of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads will be to maintain the balance between the World of the Living and the Soul Society; the second major point will the establishment of a new parliament for the citizens of Rukongai to elect leaders who will make laws going beyond some basic rights detailed in the new constitution…"

"Wait a minute!" a nobleman demanded "there's nothing in here about noble rights and privileges."

"That's because there won't be any caste system under the new government" Toushirou explained calmly "everyone will subject to the same laws and punishments they entail should they be found guilty in a court trial."

"You expect us to support this?" a female aristocrat asked furiously "there's no way any of us will agree to this constitution or your little parliament" the hall was filled with the sounds of scores of nobles shouting their agreement "what we need is a strong aristocracy which respects our superior…" she and the other nobles were cut off by a crushing spiritual pressure which caused over half of them to fall to the ground under its force.

"Let me make this as clear to you as I possibly can" Toushirou stated coldly as his eyes had an intense glow "I'm not **asking** you nobles for anything, I'm** telling** you what is going to happen…"

"Kuchki do you really plan to support this boy?" a nearby noble asked the Captain of Squad Six.

"With the Central Forty Six dead the Soul Society is technically a military dictatorship now" Byakuya explained calmly "in short, Head Captain Hitsugaya's word is currently law and as a noble it is my duty to follow the law to serve as an example for all."

"_Some things never change"_ Ichigo thought in disbelief at Byakuya's excuse.

"Now listen closely" Toushirou commanded "it's going to take some time, but here is how the Soul Society **is** going to operate" he eased his own spiritual pressure "The Thirteen Court Guard Squad shall exits only to protect the World of the Living and the Soul Society from hollows, in addition we shall be responsible for maintaining peace and order here in the Soul Society…"

"_Kid, you've grown to be such a magnificent bastard"_ Elaina thought proudly of her Head Captain.

"…once established, the Parliament will be in charge of actually governing over Rukongai and its members shall acquire their seats through democratic elections" Toushirou continued "and the very concept of nobility shall be abolished here in the Soul Society" the gathered nobles shot him looks of contempt.

"_You're finally nearing your goal"_ Alexander noted in approval _"well done my student."_

"Everyone here has two options" Toushirou informed them "you can either fall in line or you can step aside; but don't get in my way!"

"And if we refuse?" one noble asked in defiance.

"Then I'll kill you and confiscate all your precious wealth" Toushirou stated in a tone which indicated that it wasn't so much a threat as it was a promise "now get out of here" he ordered "within a few years I intend to have most of you investigated for criminal activities!"

The scores of nobles all looked the young Head Captain with glares of displeasure, but ultimately they were smart enough to realize that even if they all combined their efforts, they couldn't hope to defeat even one captain, let alone thirteen of them and their lieutenants. Slowly, begrudgingly they made their way out of the hall.

"So, they know about your plans now" Rangiku stated calmly "what's next?"

"Simple" Toushirou replied "we implement them" he turned towards the exit "come on, we've got a lot of work to do" nodding in understanding the most powerful shinigami and hybrids followed the silver haired youth in a plan which most of them hoped would change the Soul Society for the better, there were a couple however who didn't care so much and just hoped it would lead to a good fight.

*Twenty Five Years later- shinigami academy graduation ceremony*

Hundreds of students had flooded the courtyard to witness the graduating class' ceremony. For the scores of young men and women it signaled the end of their studies under the academy's roof, at the same time it represented the beginning of what they hoped would be a long and successful career as shinigami of the thirteen court guard squads. Numerous captains and lieutenants were in intendance today as was tradition including the Head Captain himself. Sitting towards the sides were a pair of young men who both appeared to be in their late teens, early twenties.

One of them had a pair of distinctly violet eyes which he had inherited from his mother and a messy head of brown hair which came from his father. His friend had a pair of dark blue eyes which like the other boy he had inherited from his mother, another similarity was that he inherited his father's hair though he had to drain or seal his spirit energy to show it.

"There's plenty of excitement in the air here, wouldn't you say Dante?" the brown haired shinigami asked.

"You can say that again Jyushiro" the black haired youth replied in agreement.

"I tell you, I thought it was a little crazy when we were graduating" Jyushiro chuckled "after all it was the first time in history that there were two students tying for the top score; our family's sure were smiling."

"Especially your father when you started flirting with like five girls at once" Dante stated in an amused tone of voice "though your mother was less than thrilled."

"Ah yes, but this blows it all out of the park" Jyushiro replied.

"Well that shouldn't come as surprise given who's graduation this is" Dante explained when suddenly the sound died down when the names of the highest scoring graduates were announced.

"Izou Kurosaki" the shinigami speaker called out as a young man who appeared to be approximately fifteen years old made his way up to receive his diploma and his kimono, his hair was spiky like his father's but black like his mothers, while his eyes were clearly his mother's dark blue "congratulations."

"Thank you" Izou replied as he shook the man's hands and took a seat with his parents, the Captains of Squads One and Thirteen.

"Tokui Kuchki" a girl of the same age as Izou made her way up to the podium, she had dark red hair which she wore in a braid in back and a pair of calm, focused eyes "congratulations."

"Thank you kind sir" Tokui replied as she mimicked her cousin and sat with her parents, the Captains of Squads Three and Six.

"And our highest scoring student of this graduating class" the announcer called out "Momo Hitsugaya."

The crowd fell into deathly silence as a young woman the same age as Tokui and Izou stood up. Like her mother she had a very curvaceous and well endowed figure for a girl her age, but unlike her mother she seemed to wear her clothes in a way which hid those aspects as much as possible. One look at her silver hair or her turquoise eyes could tell you that she was the Head Captain's daughter and her expression communicated that she was a very serious and straightforward kind of person.

"Congratulations, we have high hopes for you" the announcer said with a smile as he passed her a well earned uniform.

"Thank you very much" Momo said respectfully as she made her way over to where her parents, the leaders of Squad Ten sat with proud looks on their faces _"oh dear God please…"_ she thought when she saw the mischievous grins being worn by her younger twin brothers Kusaka and Gin telling her that they were plotting something _"we have the same hair and eyes, and yet they look so different…what a pain…"_ the young girl thought in distress as she sat down hoping that whatever it was wouldn't be too public.

As the ceremony drew to a close, the air was filled with the sounds of applause as graduates; current, former, and future stood up in celebration. Rangiku was hugging Momo tightly much to her dismay and the amusement of her brothers. Ichigo and Rukia each placed a hand on Izou's shoulders and smiled in approval. Byakuya, not being the biggest fan of public displays of affection simply nodded to his daughter with a small smile while her mother hugged her tightly. Even the icy Head Captain, Toushirou Hitsugaya found himself shedding a tear of joy at his daughter's achievement though a part of him dreaded the calls he was more than likely to receive next year when Gin and Kusaka would attend

"_What a life"_ Toushirou thought to himself when he saw two young men standing to the side.

"Hey, Dante" Elaina called out "don't be a stranger, get your ass over here little brother!"

"Alright sis" Dante replied not wanting to get in a scuffle with Elaina as he saw his parents looking at him with a look of pride which matched their expressions years earlier when he had graduated _"even though the new Parliament officially opened a few years after I was born; numerous nobles are still trying to resist the new age without noble privilege…there's still a lot of work to be done"_ he looked upon the new recruits _"these newbies are good, but they've got a ways to go if they want to put Dante Dark-Heart to shame."_

"I must say I love this kind of atmosphere" Jyushiro said as he stood next to his father.

"The only thing missing is sake, and lot's of it" Shunsui stated in matters of fact tone of voice.

"Well dad should we go get some and get this party started?" Jyushiro inquired.

"Son, I'm so proud of you" Shunsui replied as he wiped a tear of joy from his face.

"Don't even think about it you two!" Nanao hissed to her husband and her son not wanting them to spoil the proud atmosphere.

"Nanao" Shunsui whined.

"Mom" Jyushiro mimicked his father which simply caused the bespectacled Lieutenant to pinch her forehead in frustration in spite of how much she loved them both.

"I'm proud of you Momo" Toushirou told his daughter with a gentle smile spread across his face.

"That means a lot father, thank you" Momo replied as she too smiled up at her father.

"Geez what is with you two, you're father and daughter for crying out loud so hug each other" Rangiku called out as she squeezed both Toushirou and Momo together and a tight bear hug "you both need to loosen up" she began to swing them both around much to their annoyance and the amusement of Gin and Kusaka "tell you what, why don't you go find yourself a nice boy Momo, in the meantime your father and I are going to…"

"MOTHER!" Momo shouted, her cheeks flushed red at how indecent her own mother could be.

"RANGIKU!" Toushirou yelled at the exact same time as his daughter, after about half a second the Head Captain realized that everyone within a one hundred yard radius was laughing at their reactions _"even after all this time I __**still**__ can't win against her!"_ he though in defeat.

**Author's Notes: In case any of you are wondering after reading the fight scene at the begging, here is how Nemu's shikai works basically. The glove on her left hand is able to quickly analyze any substance or symptoms, the tubes on her back are able to covert her spirit energy into chemicals which she can use to create sedatives, poisons, antidotes, and what have you, and lastly the syringe which forms in her right hand is obviously for injecting them into the subject/victim. Unfortunately for her during this fight it was of no use against Mayuri since is body is made of the same substance as hers and is thus immune to any poison she can readily produce; the ones being stored inside her were more potent and required more time to produce which is why they nearly killed her.**

**Now onto the final reviews: I'd be most grateful if you'd take some time to answer as many of the following questions as possible:**

**1. Which fight was your favorite?**

**2. Which chapter was the best one in your opinion?**

**3. On a scale of 1 to 10 how dark would you say this story gets at parts and which part would you say is the darkest?**

**4. What scene made you laugh the hardest? (If no scenes made you laugh, which ones were closest?)**

**5. Which scene(s) made you cry the most or brought you closest to tears?**

**6. Which scene(s) left you with the biggest "I did not see that coming" feeling?**

**7. How well did I portray Tite Kubo's characters in your opinion?**

**8. How well did my three main OCs fit into the plot aside from taking up too much of the spotlight?**

**9. What did you think of the new roster of Captains and Lieutenants?**

**10. Which scene(s) did you feel were the most heartwarming?**

**I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all again for supporting my work. For those of you interested in my new original story ****Children of Vanity**** please keep an eye on my profile, I hope to have a link up which will direct you to the first chapter in a couple of days. If that doesn't work out just PM me with a request and I'll give you the url for you to copy and paste into your web-browser. In any case my senior year of college starts tomorrow and once I upload the first chapter of CoV I'll get back to work on House of Winter in my free time; the good news for all you House of Winter fans is I've actually had the first chapter of CoV finished for quite a while, I just need to do some editing on it first.**

**Once again I thank you all for reading; have a nice day**

**-Thatcrazyguy**


End file.
